Bantams boss Phil Parkinson was pleased with the response of his players at Grimsby Town this Tuesday evening as City took things up a notch in pre-season.
Parkinson's men made it four wins out of four from their friendly fixtures this summer with a 2-0 victory at Blundell Park in a competitive contest against their Blue Square Bet Premier hosts.
The game against respected opponents proved to be a good workout for City, with a number of the starters on the night going on to play ninety minutes for the first time this pre-season.
Although understandably happy to pick another win in pre-season, Parkinson was encouraged in general by the whole evening and felt it showed his squad were certainly moving in the right direction as the league season draws nearer.
Parkinson said: "That was always the plan for this game - to give some of the lads the full game. I thought we looked in good shape and finished the game really strong.
"We still need to address a few little bits in term of our organisation around the pitch but we're getting there and this match was another step in the right direction.
"We looked strong out there in almost every area and we look like we have a threat about us in terms of scoring goals.
"I also felt we were strong and disciplined in our shape tonight (Tuesday). You need to do that to give yourself the opportunity to ultimately win the game with a bit of quality you might be able to produce.
"All of the hard-work and discipline that we put into practice tonight is so important as we get ever closer to the start of the season.
"Sometimes in this game it can be seventy-five minutes of sheer effort and determination and then one moment of quality to see you through.
"That could be the case for a number of our games this coming season, and I felt we showed a bit of this tonight.
"Grimsby have a good squad - they have some players who wouldn't look out of place in the league.
"They lost in the Play-Offs last season and they'll be looking to go one better this season, so we knew it would be good test for us."
While a number of Parkinson's squad were going the distance for the first time in a match this pre-season, Andrew Davies encouragingly managed to collect seventy minutes in only his second friendly of the summer.
Fellow defender James Meredith also made it to the same point in the game before being substituted despite being a doubt ahead of the match due to a training ground knock.
Parkinson added:"For Andrew and James Meredith, that was them for tonight. I think that is the maximum we could have got out of them.
"Mez (James Meredith) just has a bit of muscles tightness he picked up over in Ireland so that is why we left him out against Bohemians. But both Davo (Andrew Davies) and Mez are clearly good players for us and it was good to have them out there tonight."
After coming so close to scoring at Athlone Town a week earlier, James Hanson's opener against Grimsby meant he became the latest attack-minded player to find the net for City this pre-season, following in the footsteps of Alan Connell, Nahki Wells, Garry Thompson, Mark Yeates and Louie Swain.
Parkinson continued: "That is important - if you are a striker, you want to score. Whatever game you are playing in, when you get in those areas, it is always key to produce. Whether it be the final pass or putting the ball into the net, it is always important to have a taste of it early on in the season."