SIMON Grayson insists his own contract situation will not get in the way of plotting City’s future.

The Bantams boss is on a short-term deal until the end of the current campaign but he revealed he is well on with longer-term preparations for next season.

Grayson is hoping to stick around, although there is no timescale as yet to decide what will happen next.

But he has chairman Edin Rahic’s full support in discussions on recruitment and pre-season as they continue business as normal.

Grayson said: “Edin and I have been really open about where we are.

“We’re sitting down on a weekly basis and talking about pre-season games and recruitment of players.

“I don’t think we’ve got to the stage of the actual figure we’ve got to spend yet.

“That will depend, like every football club, on how things like season tickets and sponsorship go.

“We’re certainly agreeing on what we need to do in terms of playing staff and the games.

“As it stands, until you get to the nitty-gritty of what budgets might be and what we’re going to do, then that won’t get finalised.

“We’re getting to the time that you would at any football club where you’re planning for next year. It would be foolish not to.

“Ultimately, Edin is just letting me get on with it. I report to him and discuss things with him and he’s more than happy with what we’ve done.

“He’ll agree that when you’ve been a manager for 12 years you’ve got a rough idea how seasons work and what’s required.

“We’re very open with each other and he’s been good.”

City go into the final ten games seven points off the top six – and without a win since New Year’s Day.

But Grayson is not ruling out a late promotion push ahead of tomorrow’s crucial home clash with Gillingham – and is drawing up player plans for both League One and Championship level.

“Let’s hope we’re talking about a bigger budget to spend because we’ll be in the Championship,” he added.

“It is still an achievable target. We can’t go into the game tomorrow and think that we still can’t get promoted.

“Whether I’m here or not, and I’m planning to be here, if the players don’t play well at this moment in time they won’t be in the team while I’m still here – and ultimately that will affect what’s going to happen to them in the future.

“Don’t think that people won’t be talking to me or other coaching staff. Football is a small world and managers talk all the time.

“Players are playing for the short-term future of the next game, which is the most important.

“Those who play more of the games between now and the end of the season will have a far better chance of being here or getting another club than those who don’t.

“Keep improving then it’s going to be better for everybody. It brings confidence back to the whole place.

“The worst thing that I can do is not plan to be here next year and then all of a sudden I stay and I’m miles behind everybody else in terms of preparation.

“I’ve been speaking to loads of managers from the Premier League about what sort of players they’d be wishing to let out next year, frees, loans etc.

“I know the areas we need to strengthen, that’s for sure.”

Paul Taylor and Alex Jones are pushing to be in the squad after returning to training yesterday. Jones had an injection on Tuesday to settle his ankle down.

But Matty Lund is out for a few weeks with a slight tear in his hamstring and Grayson admits that he now expects Ryan McGowan to miss the remaining games after his knee operation.

He said: “Ryan’s going to be touch and go given his knee injury.

“He might be back before the end of it and has obviously got a big incentive to get back fit because of the World Cup (with Australia).

“But ultimately, he can’t be coming back before the end of the season if he’s not 100 per cent. We need to make sure we manage him correctly.

“If he misses out on the World Cup, then he has to come back to us ready for whenever we report back for pre-season because he’s our player.”

Lukas Raeder is expected to start in goal for Colin Doyle, who is hoping to feature for the Republic of Ireland in Turkey tonight.