City captain Richie Smallwood is looking forward to leading the Bantams out for the first time against Doncaster Rovers tomorrow afternoon.
The former Blackburn Rovers and Hull City midfielder, who signed an initial two-year deal in the summer, is in line to make his competitive debut in claret and amber on Saturday and believes the squad is ready after an encouraging pre-season campaign.
He said: “There has been good work. We have had some good results and some indifferent results, but whichever way you look at it, we have got some good work in.
“Everyone has had minutes now, and the manager has got a tough job. The squad is looking really good. There is a lot of young talent, so it will be really interesting to see who he picks.
“We know it is going to be difficult on Saturday, and I am sure they will be thinking the same. It is a massive fixture for the league.
“It is two big clubs who should not really be in this division, and I think it is one of the standout games of the season. It will be one where we can put down a marker, which we want to do.
“We know they will be up there, so it would be nice to get a win.”
After donning the armband in pre-season, Mark Hughes officially announced Smallwood as City’s club captain for the upcoming campaign.
The 31-year-old is looking forward to using his experience to City’s advantage, and seeing fellow new faces making their debuts for the club.
He added: “It is a privilege to captain this great football club, a massive honour.
“I think being captain is for the senior players, who have played a lot of games.
“Earlier in my career, I was not ready for the role, but after leaving a happy dressing room at Blackburn and becoming a senior player, it made me feel like I was ready for the role.
“There are really good people here, and have been very welcoming, so I have the same feeling here.
“We know we need to work hard and show our ability, and the management know how to get the best out of us.
“We all have the ability to cause some damage in this division. If we can get the best out of ourselves this season, we will be looking pretty good.
“I am delighted to be the man with armband who can hopefully lead this great club up a division and further. We will start on Saturday and go from there.”
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