Matt Duke has backed Jon McLaughlin to seize City’s number one spot next season.

Duke’s departure for Northampton has opened the door for the long-serving keeper to secure the job as first choice.

Phil Parkinson is now in the market for another stopper as well as a goalkeeping coach. But Duke believes that McLaughlin has earned a crack at securing the job as main man in the third tier.

Duke said: “Jon has proved himself at League Two level. He has done really well when he’s played and I’ve no doubt he will do it again next year.

“He’s been at Bradford for a long time and has come on a lot in that time. This is his chance now to be the stand-out number one.

“Jon has always been competing for that spot since he came to the club and hopefully he’ll benefit from that. He has worked hard for this opportunity and I’m sure he will take it.”

The pair shared duty between the sticks during City’s marathon promotion season – with both making 32 starts. But McLaughlin finished the campaign with the jersey.

Recalled after Duke had a wobbly afternoon against Exeter, the 25-year-old played 11 of the last 12 games. He looked confident during the pressure of the play-off charge and claimed four clean sheets, including one in the final at Wembley.

McLaughlin, who joined City from Harrogate Railway six years ago, has been at the club through their entire stint in the basement division. But he has only made 90 appearances after playing second fiddle behind the likes of Rhys Evans, Simon Eastwood, Lenny Pidgeley, Matt Glennon and Duke.

He has started the opening game of the season just once – for Peter Taylor’s team at Shrewsbury in 2010.

Duke added: “He’s a great lad as well and I made a good friend in Jon. I’m sure we will keep in touch and talk regularly.

“It was nice that we got on and were able to work together but that just showed the team spirit that we’ve had at Bradford.”

Parkinson is back from a family holiday in Turkey and will meet the board to decide on how best to fill both roles vacated by Duke.

The City chief said: “We’ve got several options. I’m sitting down with the chairmen tomorrow and Friday to go through everything and decide on the best way to go forward in that department.

“When I asked Matt to do the coaching last summer, he took it on board to help us out. But he always thought it was a little bit too early to go down the coaching route and still wanted to play.

“He still had it in his mind to be a number one somewhere and we couldn’t guarantee that. Northampton offered him a two-year deal and have given him that chance.”

Former England international Tim Flowers is the Northampton goalkeeping coach so Duke has been signed solely as a player.