Experienced defender Matt Robinson is the latest to take on the "poison chalice" of City's left-back role.

The 31-year-old will become the third trialist in eight days to fill that position when he lines up at Boston tomorrow.

Unlike Sylvain Meslien and Sean Wright, who have tried and failed, the shaven-headed Robinson arrives at the club with a wealth of experience behind him.

He has started over 300 league games and spent the last four years playing regularly for Oxford.

Unfortunately his farewell appearance in a yellow shirt saw them drop out of League Two and into the Conference with a dramatic 3-2 home defeat to Leyton Orient on the last day of the season.

Robinson, pictured, began his career at Southampton before joining bitter rivals Portsmouth in February 1998. He played 75 times for the south-coast side, including two games at Valley Parade one was a memorable final-day win for Pompey which kept them up at Manchester City's expense.

He moved on to Reading in January 2000 and made a further 71 appearances before joining Oxford on a free in the summer of 2002. Robinson played 193 games for the U's, scoring four times.

Given that know-how, Colin Todd is hoping that he can fit in quickly and solve a problem that has been bugging the City boss since Lewis Emanuel moved on.

Todd said: "He's played a lot of football at a good level so he has that experience. It's a similar one to Richard Edghill when he came in last year, so we're quite hopeful."

Robinson, recently linked with City's League One rivals Gillingham, admits he is keen for a fresh start after the shattering disappointment at Oxford.

"It was very difficult to pick yourself up from something like that," he said.

"It was a horrible experience and it has taken a while to get over but it shows what can happen to a supposedly big club.

"I was out of contract and going down meant they weren't in a position to offer me anything anyway.

"And from a personal point of view, sometimes players can get forgotten a little bit if they drop out the league.

"This is a very good opportunity for me because Bradford are a big club. I've played most of my football around the south and it's a long way to come but it's down to me to impress."

Robinson still lists his first appearance at Valley Parade eight years ago as a career highlight.

"It was definitely one of the most memorable days I've had in football," he said.

"It was an occasion you will never forget because it meant so much to the Portsmouth people to stay up.

"Bradford have a lovely stadium and a great reputation as a club with a lot of history. They would be a fantastic club to join, although there is nothing definite at the moment.

"I'm training with the lads today and then I've got the chance to play at Boston. We'll take it from there but it would be great if things worked out."