GLENN Morrison admits the Bulls are a club “close to my heart” after being made odds-on favourite to succeed Jimmy Lowes as head coach.

Lowes quit the post yesterday after 22 months in charge and Bradford can expect a flurry of applications as they seek to swiftly appoint his successor.

Dewsbury boss Morrison remains a popular figure at Odsal following his playing days and it is understood he was interviewed by the Bulls following Francis Cummins’ sacking in 2014.

He was not successful as Lowes was handed the reins but the legendary former Bradford hooker will depart for good after Sunday’s visit of Workington.

Lowes, who will oversee a hand-over period this week with Matt Diskin taking over as interim head coach, cited personal reasons for his departure and is set to elaborate on those reasons in the coming days.

After moving to the top of the bookies’ list of candidates to succeed Lowes, Bradford seem certain to ask Dewsbury for permission to speak to Morrison again.

Morrison told the T&A: “It’s always difficult when a fellow coach leaves because Jimmy has done a good job there and will have his own reasons for leaving.

“I have the utmost respect for Jimmy and indeed any outgoing coach, but if the Bulls were interested in speaking to me and Dewsbury agreed to that, then of course I would be silly not to sit down and have a chat with them.

“I love Bradford because it’s a club that is close to my heart and I always want to see them do well.

“As a player, I wanted to play at the highest level and I’m no different as a coach. It would be a great opportunity for any coach.”

Morrison guided part-time Dewsbury to a famous Challenge Cup victory over Bradford last month.

The 39-year-old, who is under contract at the Rams until the end of 2017, was interviewed for the New Zealand national coach job in February 2014.

He added: “I’ve played with guys in this Bulls squad and I have coached players who have played there too.

“There is plenty of potential there and, having done a lot of video work on them before our two recent games against Bradford, I know their strengths and weaknesses, which can be easily fixed.

“I’m under contract at Dewsbury and am concentrating on doing a good job here, but I do get on with a lot of people at the Bulls and never burnt any bridges there after I left.”

Morrison has a Twitter account and Bulls fans took to the social networking site yesterday to pledge their support for his appointment.

The Australian added: “There are days when you go on social media and want to hang yourself when you see what’s being said.

“But to see fans saying they want you there is a good thing because Bradford is a great club with a great fanbase.

“Squad-wise, they have got proven quality players who have played in Super League.

“There are senior players there who you could get into your structures and they would pick it up easily so you could things around quickly.

“It’s definitely a squad that can compete and I’m sure whoever gets the job will have a side who is in the Championship's top four at the end of the year.”

Other potential candidates Diskin (Batley), Brian Noble (Canada), Paul Rowley (Canada) and John Kear (Wakefield) all have commitments elsewhere for next season and can almost certainly be ruled out.

Scott Naylor, rated as third favourites with Ladbrokes at 8/1, is performing wonders at Oldham and guided them to a stunning Challenge Cup win at Hull KR last weekend.

When contacted yesterday, the former Bradford centre did not want to comment on the Bulls vacancy out of respect for former Odsal team-mate Lowes.

Halifax boss Richard Marshall and former and current Featherstone coaches Andy Hay and Jon Sharp could also come into the reckoning.

Chev Walker, currently assistant first-team coach, is unlikely to be considered for the top job due to a lack of experience.