CITY are calling for Valley Parade's '12th man' to deliver a man-of-the-match display against Doncaster tomorrow and help find a fix to the stuttering home form.

Doncaster are the visitors as Phil Parkinson's side face their third Yorkshire derby in a month.

And outgoing director of operations David Baldwin believes a wall of noise from the stands can play a major factor in securing only a third home league win of the season.

Baldwin, who leaves to take up a new post at Burnley after the game, sees the encounter with Paul Dickov's struggling Rovers as a chance to "put a stake in the ground".

He said: "We've had some key games at home over the years that have really set the tone for the season. The nature of this one – a Yorkshire derby – suggests something like that again.

"We want to create the sort of intense atmosphere at Valley Parade which is certainly the envy of people in this division. We know the noise generated can help the players to lift their level of performance.

"We've been to Barnsley and Bristol City, two of the biggest grounds in League One, and each time you could hear more from the away fans than the home.

"On the reverse side of that, the noise for the last 15 or 20 minutes of the Sheffield United game was as loud as I've heard it at Valley Parade.

"We were down to ten men but the players really went at Sheffield in that period. We had some great chances, hitting the post and the keeper making one fantastic save, and the final result could have looked very different.

"One major contributing factor in all that was the intense support from the stands. The fans were almost sucking the ball into the net.

"That volume of noise made the hairs on your head stand up – at least the ones some of us have got left. It was constant.

"Hearing 13-14,000 home voices all in unison singing 'Midland Road' really is quite awe-inspiring. And it's something that can probably play quite a part in our performance tomorrow."

The 2-0 loss to the Blades a fortnight ago was City's fourth already at Valley Parade this term. They have lost six at home in each of the past two seasons.

Three defeats in four have left the Bantams in mid-table – six points off the League One play-offs and five ahead of the bottom four.

But Baldwin insists there is plenty of time to get the home form back up to speed, particularly with a partisan crowd behind them.

"I've got every confidence that when we look back at our home form at the end of the season, we will once again see a good record," he said.

"We might not think so at this moment in time but, as we stand, we've played only seven out of the 23 games here. That's just over a quarter.

"We've demonstrated how traditionally strong our home form can be, so it is something that's achievable. We aren't aspiring for something we haven't done before.

"We have nearly three quarters of our home games remaining to get back to the situation of 'Fortress Valley Parade' and the record we have been so proud of in the last few seasons.

"Let's hope tomorrow is the game when we can get back to business as usual. There's no better time to fix it.

"One massive positive effect to make that happen is the intensity of the crowd's support for the team for the full 90 minutes.

"The coaching staff have done their bit preparing the team as much as possible. Now it is down to the 11 players who cross that white line – with the help of thousands of passionate fans roaring them on all the way."

Baldwin has rejected the chance to see his new club play at Arsenal to watch his final home game after seven years working for City.

He said: "I'd love to go out on a high with a good win. That's why we follow our club.

"It's for those moments when the final whistle blows and there's that outpouring of joy from getting a positive result."