BILLY Clarke reckons points in the bag are worth more than games in hand at this stage for City.

Three of the four teams immediately behind the Bantams in the play-off chase have played less.

Millwall and Rochdale are both poised to overtake if they slip up and tenth-placed Oxford could also catch up with two wins.

But Clarke will not be looking nervously over his shoulder as City head into the final quarter of the campaign.

The striker said: “It doesn’t affect how you play but you become aware of other results. You know how many points you need to either get in the play-offs or have a chance of going up automatically.

“We were in a position a couple of years ago when we’d played less games. We were playing catch-up and it isn’t easy.

“I still think it’s a lot better to have the points on the board.

“When you’re playing and nobody else is, that can be a lot of pressure. You have these Tuesday night games on difficult pitches and there are no guarantees.”

There are only nine weeks remaining in the league season for City to rubber-stamp their return to the play-offs.

They head for Vale Park on the back of a hugely-frustrating run of four games without a win, pushing them out of the top five for the first time since August, but Clarke insists that City’s “incredible” bad luck will turn.

“If you can’t take the positives from the games then there’s a problem,” he added. “What more can we do?

“It just seems like every shot against us seems to go in or lands to one of their players.

“The first Bolton goal was like that and he didn’t even catch it cleanly. That was similar to Gillingham’s equaliser the other week when the ball flew up in the air and landed to their full back who just swung his leg at it.

“But in terms of the way we’re playing and creating, it’s been brilliant.

“It’s obviously frustrating and you do reflect on what we could have done better. But we don’t completely dissect every performance because 90 per cent has been really good.

“The season will go quick now and a run of wins will send you right up the table.

“There are a lot of high stakes to play and we won’t be doing anything different.

“It’s easy saying ‘another draw’ but I think we’ve been incredibly unlucky for large parts. But we’d take playing really poorly and winning!”

Four of the last five meetings between City and Port Vale have been draws, including the goalless encounter on the opening day.

They last won at Vale Park in 2008 but fought back to earn a point last season with ten men – an afternoon Clarke remembers well.

He said: “I know it’s a big pitch. Tony (McMahon) and I played there centre mid for 45 minutes last year after Lee Evans got sent off – so it felt even bigger then!

“We know we’re good when we have the ball. To make a team work on a large pitch like that will certainly tire them out.”