Under the stewardship of former player now turned manager Stuart McCall, there is plenty of optimism around Valley Parade at the minute, as they are eager to see how the Bradford legend will fare in his second stint as boss.

McCall first managed Bradford for three years during 2007-2010, he took charge of 133 games and left with a win percentage of just under 35% before departing for Scottish club Motherwell.

His managerial career than took him to Scottish giants Rangers before coming full circle, and arriving back at Valley Parade following Phil Parkinson exits for fellow league one club Bolton Wanderers.

Having gained more managerial experience than before his first stint there is a keen sense of intrigue to see how he fares this time around.

This article takes a look at THREE players who will form the core of the team next season.....

 

Matthew Kilgallon

All teams must be built on the sold foundations of a good strong defence and with the addition of new signing Matthew Kilgallon into the back four, he is certain to sure up the back four and add a wealth of experience into the squad.

McCall was a coach at Sheffield United when Kilgallon was there as a player and will be confident in being able to get the best out of the 32 year old centre back.

Kilgallon is a highly experienced defender who has spent all of his career in the top two tiers of English football, spending 6 years in the Premier League with the likes of Leeds United, Sheffield United, and Sunderland.

Kilgallon started his career at Leeds, coming up through their youth setup and then forcing his way into the first team set up, he went onto make 95 appearances for the club before departing for then Premier League Sheffield United, he had 4 successful years at Bramall Lane and was considered a favourite amongst the fans after making over 100 appearances for the South Yorkshire club.

The 32-year-old will add versatility to the back four as he can also fill in, as a left back as well as centre back and will be hopeful of a successful campaign in his first year with The Bantams.

Nicky Law

Nicky Law is another new signing at The Valley this season following his release from Scottish giants Rangers at the end of last season, just like Kilgallon, Law is also someone who knows Stuart McCall very well as he played under him at Rangers.

Law will add energy and work rate to the midfield as well as a keen eye for goal, Law is known as a box to box midfielder who has a knack of being in the right place at the right time when in and around the oppositions penalty area.

The 28-year-old has played the likes of Rotherham United, Motherwell, Rangers and has also previously played for Bradford in two loan spells during the 2007-2008 season and the 2008-2009 season where he impressed the supporters and they were desperately disappointed, when he was snapped up by rivals Rotherham United the following season.

During his first loan spell in the 2007-2008 season, Nicky Law made just 10 appearances and impressed scoring 2 goals, he then joined for the full 2008-2009 campaign and made 33 appearances scoring 3 goals.

Many fans are looking forward to seeing him pull on the Bradford shirt next season, and are excited to see how he has developed as a footballer since he was last seen on the hallowed turf of Valley Parade.

James Hanson

James Hanson has been a key player for The Bantams ever since signing from non-league side Guiseley back in the summer of 2009, since making the transition into the professional game he has been a one club man and has become a huge fans favourite down at Valley Parade.

Hanson has made 315 appearances for the club and has scored 87 goals in that time he played key roles, in both the side that won the League Two playoff final and also reached the final of the League Cup in 2013.

Hanson is a big, strong imposing figure upfront and is a defenders worst nightmare as he is good in the air and very overpowering, not many can out-strength the big man.

He is a target man type of centre forward and is very good at holding the ball up and bringing others into play, although he is much more than just that as he as a very keen eye for goal.

Since signing for Bradford back in 2009 there has only been one season where Hanson has not reached double figures in goal-scoring terms.

Hanson will be hopeful of another successful season and will be keen to help Bradford push up the league table and into promotion contention.