Stuart McCall sends City back to the scene of their biggest crime tonight with the challenge: Show how far you’ve come.

The Bantams begin their FA Cup adventure with a return trip to Notts County – with memories still raw of the 5-0 pounding on opening day.

McCall’s men have picked up since that horrendous start, including a win over County in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on penalties.

Now City must confront their Meadow Lane demons, with the boss confident they will be up to the task.

McCall said: “It’s a tie that we’re ready for and we’ve got to do a lot better there than last time, for sure.

“But we’re a different team in terms of personnel and also different in the fact that we’ve been together now for three months.

“We got our own back in a way, knocking them out of the Johnstone’s Paint, and we can take a lot of positives out of that.

“We know when we go away from home, we’ve got to defend better. We can’t keep having to score three goals to win games, regardless of who we’re playing.

“To be drawn down there again is a big ask but we’re confident in our ability to go anywhere and get a result.”

Chris Brandon is ruled out with a hamstring strain but Lee Bullock returns from suspension.

McCall has praised the way Bullock has adapted to the holding job in midfield and his presence was missed at Macclesfield.

“He’s been playing really well in that role, not only defensively but also passing the ball and has been a good influence on the team.

“I always thought he was a strong midfielder but looking back in his career he was a more forward attack-minded player. But obviously with his physical presence and ability to read the game well, playing in there really does suit him.

“Bully doesn’t have to hare round the park but he can make an impact on the game. He’s also a good organiser and talker.”

Graeme Lee could miss out against his old club after suffering a slight ankle problem.

McCall admitted he has been disappointed with the booing dished out to his former skipper in the previous games.

“I don’t like to see or hear it,” he said. “Spike was a good captain for us, who wanted to stay and never said a bad word about the club. I enjoyed working with him and he’s a good pro. The booing is not nice but it happens all over.”

Defender Steve Williams admits City cannot be caught napping again as they were at Macclesfield.

Williams was involved in the mix-up which led to the soft first goal after just four minutes.

He said: “We’ve got to be switched on from minute one – not half-time like we did last week.

“There’s a bit of a rivalry building up between us and we know they’re a good side but we’ve got to have that attitude in us right from the start.”

New County boss Hans Backe is expected to tweak his line-up as he continues to assess the squad. Ex- Burnley striker Ade Akinbiyi may get his first start after three appearances as a sub.

Lee Hughes, like Lee, is struggling with an injured ankle while keeper Kasper Schmeichel has a sore knee but is expected to play.