Derek Adams insisted City’s players will take valuable lessons from last night's 2-1 defeat to Chesterfield.
The Spireites netted twice in the opening six minutes which meant the Bantams were narrowly beaten at the Technique Stadium.
Adams claimed he learned plenty from the outing and stressed the importance of giving all fit squad members game time.
He said: “There was plenty to take out of the game, and that is what pre-season is about.
“We gave everyone an opportunity to go out there and express themselves.
“Unfortunately, some of the players did not perform to the best of their ability, but they will learn from this moving forward.
“As we get closer to the beginning of the new season, I need to start making decisions on who will be in the starting XI - and the Chesterfield game helped me with this.”
However, Adams did draw positives from the Bantams’ second-half performance, while insisting he now clearer on the side he will pick for City's opening game of the Sky Bet League Two season - at Exeter City on Saturday August 7 (3.00pm).
City changed their entire XI at the interval, and came close to salvaging a draw late on.
He added: “The main positive was that, in the second half, we played excellent for the majority.
“We created plenty of opportunities, but the only disappointing thing was that we could not find an equaliser.
“I never want to get defeated, but I had to give players an opportunity, and the game gave me clarity over my judgement and cemented my thoughts on how we go from here.
“We now look ahead to our final pre-season game against Accrington Stanley and hope we can take a positive result into the first game of the season.”
The Bantams travel to Accrington Stanley on Saturday (3.00pm), in their final pre-season outing. Tickets are now on general sale - and can be purchased by CLICKING HERE.