Bradford City is delighted to announce that Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars have been appointed joint managers of the club - on a permanent basis.
Trueman and Sellars have agreed deals which will initially keep them at the Utilita Energy Stadium until at least the end of the 2021/22 campaign, having first taken temporary charge in December.
The duo, who began coaching City’s under-18s side at the beginning of the 2018/19 campaign, were made joint-interim managers on December 28, having initially taken the reins as caretaker manager and assistant on December 13.
Under their stewardship, the Bantams have picked up 24 points from 11 matches - winning seven, drawing three and losing only once.
Bradford-born Trueman, 33, said: “Myself and Conor are obviously delighted, first and foremost, to have been given this opportunity.
“The players have taken to us really well. We have been pleased by how everyone is gelling and are looking forward to keeping that going.
“We are desperate to be successful and, now we have been given the chance to manage this club on a permanent basis, will do everything in our power to ensure that is the case.
“This is something we have both been working very hard towards, and now we can hopefully keep pushing and building on what we have already done, since taking charge initially.”
“We are extremely pleased,” Sellars, 29, added.
“Me and Mark have worked incredibly hard so far and have been given a brilliant opportunity by the club, which we are very excited about.
“When we first came in, we were confident in our ability to express our coaching methods. Thankfully, the job we have done so far has been deemed good enough to warrant the permanent appointment.
“Every day, we just want to improve. It has been a brilliant couple of months so far and we are looking forward to taking this club in the right direction as much as we can. We are trying to put a blueprint in place which everyone can be proud of.”
City’s chief executive officer, Ryan Sparks, said: “I am absolutely delighted for Mark and Conor. Their promotion is thoroughly deserved and I am sure they will pick up from where they left off on Saturday, tomorrow evening.
“Life is about opportunities, and I think it goes without saying that Mark and Conor have taken theirs with both hands. They have worked extremely hard over the past couple of months and placed themselves in pole position for the job.
“I am sure our supporters will join me in congratulating them on their terrific work so far, but they know more than anyone that the real challenges come now, as the next chapter begins.
“We are fully confident they can continue to take us forward on the field, and they are living and breathing the culture we are working to create. They understand that mediocrity is something we will never again accept, and that every day we simply strive to move forward and achieve our goals.
“When placing them in interim charge, I challenged Mark and Conor to keep our football club in the EFL. They are closing in on achieving that target, which certainly presented a substantial task.
“Our aim is to get safe and then finish this season with as much momentum as possible, heading into the 2021/22 campaign. We already have in place the basis of an exciting squad, ahead of next season, and I am sure both Mark and Conor are looking forward to building on it during the months ahead.
“They are ‘two of our own’ and, along with everyone else, have the club’s best interests at heart. I speak on behalf of thousands of people in wishing them the very best - at what is hopefully the start of a long reign in permanent charge of Bradford City. They have made some history in recent weeks, and now is the time for us to start making more.”
In addition to Trueman and Sellars, Scott Dyer has also been promoted from the club’s academy ranks on a permanent basis. He will link up with Robbie Bloodworth in the first team’s performance analysis department.