SIMON Grayson has told City to buckle up for a 16-game season.

The new boss goes into his first full week of work on the training ground after the Bantams dropped out of a play-off spot for the first time since August.

With no game due to scheduled opponents Wigan's involvement in the FA Cup, City dropped to eighth as Charlton and Plymouth went above them with wins.

Following a weekend off for the players, the squad are building up to the trip to the in-form Pilgrims – who went above them on goal difference after beating Oxford – as they hunt a first win in nine games.

Grayson believes the rest has helped refresh his troops for the home stretch – with 13 League One outings left and potentially three play-offs.

He said: “We are not going to get the players any fitter because it is nearly the end of February. It is about re-focusing minds and sharpening them up.

“Making sure they can do everything needed to win games is the priority now. Don’t forget, many of these have had four weeks extra due to being in the play-offs last year.

“That is a lot of extra football compared to others in League One. So, we gave them a few days off but we are all back in and ready to work.

“Hopefully it is a 16-game season now.”

City’s morale was lifted by the fightback to draw 1-1 in Grayson’s opening game in charge at Charlton.

He could sense the lift in the mood on the journey back from the capital.

“There was a buoyant atmosphere, where I would imagine the dressing room has probably been a horrible place to be in recent weeks due to the defeats.

“Even the result against Bury was not a win but it did stop the rot. Sometimes, you need those small steps to take you to the bigger steps.

“The break came at a good time for us.

“It takes a lot out of you when you’re losing games and they are not the easiest of pitches at this moment in time, both home and away.

“You’re coming into this period of a long, hard season now when it really matters and we need to keep them mentally and physically fresh.”

With the transfer window gone, Grayson is happy to work with the players he inherited from Stuart McCall.

“This squad’s got something because they’ve been up there all season,” he added.

“We just have to change slight things to how I work. Stuart does things differently and that’s not a criticism, I do different things to other managers right throughout the country.

“But it’s about the players responding and they showed a real strong desire the other night to get something out of it.”