Nicky Law today revealed the strain of preparing rudderless Bradford City for the new campaign and admitted: It's the toughest job I've faced.

Law has only 46 days before City kick off the season against Wolves at Valley Parade and he has not got enough players to field a team.

The first-team squad are due in for training on Monday but while Wolves will welcome back the likes of fit-again Republic of Ireland international Mark Kennedy, Law has only five seniors officially on the books.

He will try to bolster the numbers with hopefuls released by other clubs but until City come out of administration, the Bantams boss can go no further than offering trials to players he would like to sign.

It looks like mission impossible for a manager who rode a crisis with Chesterfield two seasons ago, winning promotion after they were punished for financial irregularities.

Law said: "It's probably getting worse now than it ever was at Chesterfield. Compared to that we haven't got anything.

"We had seven staff there while at the moment there are the three of us - me, Ian Banks and Steve Redmond (the City physio) who've got to do the lot. We've got no kit man, no fitness coach and no youth-team coach so that's three extra jobs for starters.

"And if we get an injury that will take Redders out of the equation so it's down to Ian and me."

"We're having to take the youth team for training while at the same time trying to arrange trialists and prepare for the First Division. We haven't got time to feel sorry for ourselves but I would be lying if I didn't say it was a very difficult situation."

City's apprentices began their pre-season at Northcliff playing fields in Shipley on Monday. Yesterday, Law and Banks were with them at Apperley Bridge.

When the seniors return next week, Law will have just over a month to accumulate a new squad, get them fit and playing together and mould a team capable of First Division survival.

Nottingham Forest are rumoured to have joined the hunt for Eoin Jess, who is also wanted by Dundee United, Walsall and Kilmarnock.