DAVID Hopkin admits his patience with City’s bigger names has run out – as he threatened to throw in more youngsters.

Hopkin gave his side an angry grilling for half an hour after Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Accrington.

The Bantams remain stuck in League One’s bottom four and Hopkin has delivered an ultimatum to the under-performing senior players.

Some angry away fans chanted against chairman Edin Rahic and Hopkin himself was accosted by a small group as he walked off after the final whistle.

The head coach said: “It’s frustrating but as I told the players, they are going to turn on me shortly.

“So, once they start that then we’re all in it. I need to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“If the players can’t play for me or are not prepared to do it and I get beaten, then I’ll get beaten playing younger kids. I’ll do it until I get what I want.

“I’m not going to hang about any more with the older players to see what I’m going to get. I’ll carry the can until January.

“If we get beaten with a team of under-22s playing, then I don’t care.

“I’m not going to watch that every week – that’s where I am just now. Everybody is playing for their future.”

Hopkin slammed the “schoolboy” mistakes that led to two of Accrington’s goals and feels the younger players in the team are being sold short by the older heads around them.

“We need players who can compete,” added Hopkin, as he waits impatiently for the next transfer window to put his own stamp on the squad.

“I think responsibility is a massive thing in football.

“We’ve got a lot of old players but not experienced players. We’re too nice, we need leaders.

“We need the older ones to stand up and be counted and help the younger players. We’ve got a lot of younger players in the squad – and they were probably the best ones on the pitch.

“I’ve got young boys here who are getting dragged through the mill a wee bit because the older players aren’t helping at this moment in time.

“It’s frustrating for them and for me. But I’ve told the players in no uncertain terms that I’m not taking it anymore.”

Hopkin was impressed with Lewis O’Brien and felt the teenage midfielder set the example to the rest.

“He’s a 19-year-old kid on loan from Huddersfield and all he wants to do is play football. He wants to learn.

“You could see he drives, he closes people down, he’s not scared to take the ball under pressure.

“These are things we need to work on. But all I talk about is the same things every week.

“It’s getting to the stage now where you go one step forward and two back every time.

“I know we’ve got a long time to January but we need to come up with a plan.

“Everybody seems to have a blame culture just now – the players, everything. We need to make sure that doesn’t go on and I’ve got to stay strong.”