Returning to Valley Parade will be Greg Abbott’s biggest date of the season, according to his old City housemate.

Abbott, now the third longest-serving boss in England, brings his Carlisle side to West Yorkshire on Saturday.

It will be his first competitive visit as a manager against the club where he played more than 300 times.

And John Hendrie, another member of that popular mid-80s City side, said: “Greg’s got a soft spot for Bradford and I can assure you this would have been the first game that he looked for.

“He has still got big links around here and I saw him in the close season.

“It’s ironic that Greg is coming back for City’s first home game. It’s a great twist.”

Abbott is in his sixth season at the Carlisle helm after being appointed in December 2008. He also previously had two spells in caretaker charge.

Hendrie added: “It’s a great achievement to have lasted so long bearing in mind the stories you hear of manager fatalities. One bad season and you’re led to suffer and sometimes it’s not even that.

“It’s Greg’s first job and I’m delighted he has stayed in the game and stuck in there.

“He has not had a lot of money to work with and he’s done so well to stay in the position as long as he has.

“I’m sure Greg will admit that Bradford are a bigger club than Carlisle but he’s taken them to Wembley and won the JPT and kept them in that division comfortably.”

Abbott spent nine years with City, playing both right back and midfield and gained a reputation for his penalty- taking. In 1986, the year after the Valley Parade fire disaster, he even finished joint top-scorer on 13 goals with Hendrie – nine of those coming from the spot.

Hendrie said: “Greg’s career took exactly the same route as mine. We were apprentices at Coventry together, we were both let go and came to Bradford, we went through the fire and got promoted. We even lived together.

“In all truthfulness, he should have done better with his playing career and he will be the first one to appreciate that.”

Abbott was at the John Smith’s Stadium to see City’s rejigged side beaten at Huddersfield. Phil Parkinson travelled to Brunton Park last night to spy on the Cumbrians as they knocked Blackburn out of the Capital One Cup.

The City boss said: “It’s that stage of the season where you try and take in as many teams at your level as you can. You’re building up that picture.

“I’m getting as many DVDs and watching every game that I can because you need to learn about every team and every player.”

Parkinson had gone by the time Carlisle went through in a penalty shoot-out after the game had finished 3-3 after extra time.