City have this morning issued an official statement regarding the three players caught up in the Crawley melee.

While the football club’s internal inquiry into the after-match incident that followed Tuesday’s Crawley Town fixture is still ongoing, the club felt it was important to pass on one particular detail that has arisen from the investigation so far.

Director of Operations David Baldwin explained: “As fans will be aware, the club launched its own internal investigation into the events of Tuesday night, with a part of the inquiry including interviewing the players involved.

“While I can’t divulge the exact details gathered from those interviews, I can say that all of the players involved (Andrew Davies, Jon McLaughlin and Luke Oliver) were extremely quick to offer their sincere apologies for their actions and for any distress they may have caused the supporters, staff, management and directors.

“Our interviews with the players in question were done individually, but each player, without hesitation, was eager to express their deep regret and sadness at getting involved in such an unsavoury incident.

“It was clear looking at the players while we interviewed them that they were all deeply mortified at the shame the incident had brought on the football club and the people that are associated with the club.

“You could see they were all still visibly shaken by the magnitude of the events that took place on Tuesday night.”

Baldwin added: “The three players in question are normally a credit to themselves, their families and the football club. Their actions of Tuesday evening were totally out of character.

“It has clearly been a difficult week for everyone connected with Bradford City Football Club. Nobody at the club condones the actions of Jon, Luke and Andrew after the match on Tuesday. It was an incident that was certainly not befitting the usual high moral standards that the club sets for its players and staff.

“But it is extremely important now, more than ever, that everyone sticks together as the club aim to preserve its Football League status.”