Nerves starting to show for Bradford City opponents Vale (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Nerves starting to show for Bradford City opponents Port Vale

6:00am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in Sport By Simon Parker, Bradford City Reporter

Micky Adams admits City’s visit will pose a “test of character” for promotion-chasers Port Vale.

The wobbles have set in for Vale and Saturday’s defeat at Oxford was their third in four games, including the last two on their Burslem home patch.

They still enjoy a five-point cushion from the play-off places but Adams conceded that nerves are beginning to fray.

The veteran Vale chief said: “We need to grind out a result. We’ve got to show a bit of resolve. If we do that to a man, we’ll be fine.

“There’s a lot of negativity around Vale Park at the moment and that’s not going to help anybody, so we need the supporters to be our 12th man right now.

“It’s not about individuals, it’s about the team and if the fans can give us 100 per cent, I’m sure we can bounce back.

“We’ve lost another game and we need to get it out of our system as quickly as we can. The only way we can do that is by beating Bradford.”

Adams has called for some soul-searching in the dressing room to pull Vale out of their blip, which has also seen home losses to Morecambe and Exeter without scoring.

He said: “I don’t recognise some of the players right now. There’s no denying some are playing without confidence.

“They’ve had enough pats on the back all year and I’ll always defend them. But they’ve got to ask are they doing enough.”

Former Vale midfielder Anthony Griffith has returned to the club on loan from Leyton Orient and is likely to go straight into the team to face City.