David Wetherall could jump back into the relegation fray against Rotherham on Saturday.

The City centre-half is in line for a shock recall for the Yorkshire basement battle - even though he has only played 40 minutes of football since October.

Wetherall will play for the reserves against Everton tomorrow and if he comes through is set to link up with the squad for the vital Millmoor meeting between two sides on the brink of the dogfight to stay out the bottom three. Boss Nicky Law said: "It's not an ideal situation and for him to suddenly come back in a crunch game like Saturday after such a long time out is a big test. But it might have to come to that."

City were down to 16 fit players for last night's 3-1 Valley Parade loss to Birmingham - their fourth defeat on the bounce which heaps more pressure on the weekend.

Ashley Ward will hope to be fit to face the Millers while Simon Grayson is available after suspension, although his one-month loan from Blackburn runs out immediately afterwards.

Law is therefore pressing Wetherall back into action having played just under a half of second-team football last Wednesday since his lengthy lay-off recovering from a groin injury.

The Bantams boss was planning to talk with chairman Geoffrey Richmond today to see if funds could be released to bolster a squad that is cracking under the strain of a second successive relegation struggle.

They had a go against Birmingham but it took the shock of falling two behind before half-time to provoke a response. Eoin Jess pulled one back but a frenzied second-half effort failed to come up with an equaliser.

Law, who saw Gareth Whalley join the walking wounded with a thigh strain, said: "Four or five of them never really got started. It's easy to start playing when you're 2-0 down, it's when it's 0-0 and you've got to be the one whose not afraid to make mistakes and take the game your way.

"Unfortunately at the moment we haven't got enough that want to do that. It's not that they can't, but they are happy to pass the buck and wait for someone else to set the thing going.

"For all the money they've spent, Birmingham were no great shakes and they didn't open us up like Man City did at times on Friday. But we gifted them goals and again we proved our own worst enemies.

"Relegation has been a possibility since I arrived. I've said all along we can't take it for granted just because we've got games in hand and a six-point cushion.

"That can soon be wiped away if teams below us go on a bit of a run and we keep on losing matches like we have done for the last four."