Phil Parkinson admits this is the most taxing spell of injuries he has experienced in 11 years of management.

Kyel Reid’s season-ending departure has added to the mounting problems Parkinson is facing with his depleted City squad.

The Bantams boss was already hunting a replacement for left back James Meredith, who is out until March with a broken foot. Reid’s long-term absence with a ruptured cruciate has left another hole on the wing, which needs to be filled.

But Parkinson, who is further hampered by a lengthy list of minor casualties, is determined to ride out the storm.

He said: “We are swimming against the tide and we’ve got to reverse that. We’ve got to rectify the gaps in our squad caused by injuries.

“I can’t remember a spell like this at any time as a manager. But unfortunately you can’t feel sorry for yourself.

“It’s a case of having to dust yourself down and get on with it. That’s what we are trying to do.”

After landing Aaron Mclean to replace Nahki Wells last week, Parkinson had his hands full lining up a specialist left back to cover for Meredith. Now the midfield spot in front of him has become another pressing issue.

He said: “Around the Nahki situation we were focusing purely on a striker. We felt that was a priority and it took a lot of time during that period.

“Then left back became a problem and now it’s a wide player as well.

“Naturally left-sided players are hard to find. The left back scenario is already becoming a difficult one.

“We’ve got to try and find something which is equally effective (to Reid and Meredith).

“Obviously the search continues but it isn’t as straightforward as people think.

“Some may think there’s a whole list of left backs out there and I only have to use a selection process to pick the right one. It’s not that easy.

“It’s getting one out of a club who is match fit and wants to come here geographically.

“It’s not just about the finances. Managers don’t necessarily want to let players go – especially left backs because there aren’t an abundance of them, as everyone knows.

“It’s a problem we’ve got but we are scouring the market.”

Reid has been a regular on City’s left flank this season after putting last year’s issues with his groin behind him. He has started all but one league game since winning back his place from Mark Yeates at the end of August.

Parkinson said: “We’ve managed to keep on top of the problems Reidy has had in the past and he’s been relatively injury-free.

“It’s a huge blow for us and even more so for him because he has kept himself fit. It was such an innocuous challenge to get this injury but we’re just going to have to deal with it.”