PHIL Parkinson will today plead with the City board to let him recruit another keeper – and fast.

With less than a fortnight before the new campaign kicks off, Jordan Pickford is the only senior stopper at Valley Parade following Jon McLaughlin's exit.

Sunderland loanee Pickford has been blocked from playing in cup competitions by his parent club – and City's second game of the season is the Capital One opener at Morecambe.

Parkinson cast another eye on trialist Matt Urwin in the second half of Saturday's goalless draw with Blackburn. But as it stands, youth-team keeper Elliott Barker is the back-up.

Having lost McLaughlin to Burton, the City chief is anxious that the clock is ticking and intends to put his case forcibly to the club's joint- chairmen.

Parkinson said: "I'm not happy with the numbers. We need more players in that squad.

"The goalkeeping situation needs rectifying because Jordan can't play in the cups – and we've got the Capital One Cup straight away.

"We've been trying to explain that to the board from day one when we were bringing him in.

"We lost Jonny and we know the whys and wherefores of that. But it's disappointing to lose him because I think that would have been a very strong department if we had had those two.

"Now we've got to find another one and it's difficult to find a keeper with the experience that Jon had.

"We're trying to do something and Matt has done himself no harm. He looks a cool customer and I thought he did well when he came on.

"That needs resolving because what we don't want to do is have to go in the cups and throw a 16-year-old in the goal.

"No disrespect but we don't want to throw in one of our youngsters if they are not ready. It wouldn't be fair on anyone to do that.

"And it's all right saying that we'll put our two young keepers on the bench. But they need to play for their own development as goalkeepers in the youth team.

"It's all right trailing a youngster round the country when he's not ready to go in the first team. But they've got to be playing themselves.

"I will be speaking to the board again to get that rectified. We're also looking to strengthen in other areas, like out wide, and we're working on that as well."

City fans caught their first sight of England under-19 international Pickford in the weekend friendly but he came off at the break with a tight groin.

Parkinson is still sifting through the trialists but French defender Christopher Routis is pushing his claims to replace Matt Taylor, who made his Cheltenham debut against Bath City.

The Bantams boss said: "We're just piecing things together. Matt Taylor's gone so that takes one off the wage bill.

"We'll go through where we think we are. I know what we need to add.

"With Matty going, we do need another defender. Obviously Lidds (Gary Liddle) and (Alan) Sheehan can both play centre back.

"We've got a lot of trialists and some didn't get on, so we may have a game this week or the following week.

"We'll certainly get one or the other. We've got a group with different requirements for the week."