ADAM Chicksen is happy to be following a tough act in City's back four.

The Bantams boasted the equal second-best defence in League One last season.

And left back Chicksen is succeeding James Meredith, who made that role his own in five years at Valley Parade.

Established City faces such as Meredith, Rory McArdle and Stephen Darby have now moved on.

The club are still in the market for another centre half and have been running the rule over Chicksen's former Brighton team-mate Gordon Greer in Austria this week.

Chicksen insists the onus of taking over from such defensive stalwarts should spur on any new additions to the backline.

"It's a good act to follow because it's going to keep the standards at Bradford City high," he said.

"You're going to be compared with that and you'll want to do just as well or even better.

"It's obviously a great achievement for those players to hold down their places like that for so long – but that gives us a target.

"I set my own goals but having that as well generates good performances.

"If you have a strong and solid back four who can play most of the game, it starts from there. The rest of the lads can build, the strikers can rotate but as a defence you want to keep it consistent.

"When you can play regularly together, you get to know all the strengths and weaknesses. You learn when you should cover or not.

"That's the big thing about this season. The lads who have come in need to gel quickly and hopefully get that performance level."

Chicksen, like Meredith, has a reputation for wanting to get forward and supplement the attack. His crossing ability appealed to Stuart McCall just as much as his defending when targeting a new left back.

The new recruit appreciates the positive way in which McCall wants his team to play.

"They say the best form of defence is attack and if you spend the majority of the game in their half of the pitch, you're going to do less defending," said Chicksen.

"We played Bradford last season with Charlton and it was a real game of two halves. It seemed like their full backs were always in our half, so you were never really attacking them.

"I love to go forward. I've got the energy and the legs and I love to put balls in the box.

"I'm sure his (McCall's) style of play is going to suit me. As players, it's good to know the emphasis of what the manager wants. We can go out there and try to deliver that.

"I was brought up through my whole youth with Karl Robinson at MK Dons.

"I've been lucky enough that most managers I've been under have all wanted the modern-style full back and that suits me down to my frame and how I like to play."