HOPE Akpan thinks hitting the bottom of League One can help City focus their minds on the job.

The Bantams face Gillingham today on the back of a run of nine defeats from the last 11 games.

It is a slump that has seen them drop to the foot of the table – but midfielder Akpan believes that will make their task clearer.

He said: “Hopefully being bottom can have a positive effect.

“It makes us realise we are holding the league up. Let’s turn this around.

“We have hit rock bottom and there is only one way to go.

“We must not panic. There are so many points to play for – but at the same time, we need points now.”

Akpan, who returned from a dislocated shoulder to make an hour’s comeback against Coventry, has suffered successive relegations with Blackburn and Burton in the Championship.

But he admits City’s current predicament is more of a challenge than last season – because he did not see it coming.

“It does feel worse definitely,” he added. “It’s the realisation of the situation but we have now hit rock bottom so everyone is clear where we are.

“What goes on around us doesn’t matter. We need points and that is the message we are trying to reinforce.

“One result can snap you out of things. I have been here before, when that realisation hits the players and that we need to pull together.

“Forget what has gone on, inside or outside the club. Only us can affect the situation.”

As one of City’s more experienced players, Akpan is also looking out for the youngsters in the squad who will not have experienced a survival scrap before.

He said: “In some cases, you have to put your arm around them. But you also can’t do that for too long because there are points to be won.

“This is not a doom and gloom case, where we need points to stay up from the last two games. It’s not desperate.

“At the same time, though, you can’t let it go too long. How many times have we heard the phrase, ‘too good to go down’?

“It can happen so we have to be very aware of the situation we are in and get ourselves out of it.”

Akpan’s midweek outing was his first since David Hopkin took charge having damaged his shoulder at the start of the Scot’s opening training session.

“It was after literally two minutes,” he admitted. “I had a fall and my shoulder popped out.

“The timing is crazy, yes. But, as an individual, you have to overcome it and do what you can to get back as quick as possible.

“The gaffer pulled me earlier in the week. We had a training game and as it went on, he said ‘are you in a place to maybe play 60 minutes?’

“In my head, I was thinking it was maybe too early. But we have to roll our sleeves up in situations like this – and I feel better for those 60 minutes.”