DAVID Hopkin expects to see Lewis O’Brien fit for City’s next game – as he waits to find out about Jack Payne.

O’Brien needed stitches in a cut shin after limping off in the first half of the 3-0 victory over Accrington at Valley Parade that lifted the Bantams back out of League One’s drop zone.

The youngster had scored the opening goal with a superb finish before Eoin Doyle and Connor Wood, who came on for him, made sure of a fourth win out of five over the holiday period.

O’Brien was injured by the lunge that saw Accrington’s Offrande Zanzala sent off. But with City out of action now until they visit Barnsley a week on Saturday, Hopkin is confident the in-form midfielder will recover.

“He’s had a couple of stitches and we’ll see how he is,” said the Bantams boss. “But I’m sure he will be fine.

“He scored a fantastic goal. To have the composure from a young boy of that age to bend it in is fantastic and Connor’s was the same.”

Luton and Peterborough have both been linked with a move for Payne, who gave another man-of-the-match display.

Hopkin will use the gap before City’s next game to press Huddersfield for an answer on what they are thinking with the on-loan playmaker.

He added: “Everybody wants Jack to stay but we need to be patient.

“Once we know what’s happening, we can deal with it. But I’m hoping that he’s going to stay at Bradford City until the end of the season.

“We’ll make sure we try to speak to Huddersfield and see because he’s done really well. But it’s a difficult one for us because he’s not our player.”

Payne has been influential in City’s charge which has seen them collect 12 points from a possible 15, scoring 13 goals in that time and conceding only one.

Hopkin agreed the players have earned their time off – and admits they need it now.

He said: “The break has come at a good time. It’s not just physically but also the mental strain of playing games, recovering and then playing again.

“I’ve told them to go away and enjoy the next few days. Then they can come back in refreshed and ready to start again next week.

“We didn’t start as brightly as we have in recent weeks. But I think that was down to the amount of games we’ve had.

“But I couldn’t change the side and the players deserve great credit again for scoring three fantastic goals.

“I don’t think we had much left in the tank to keep playing the same high-intensity game we have been.”

City claimed their fourth successive home clean sheet and fourth in five since mid-December. Hopkin believes the defence are playing just as big a role in the club’s revival as the goalscorers.

“The back four and goalkeeper deserve credit because we’ve been working on them to get up the pitch that wee bit quicker,” he added.

“The last two games you’ve seen it. We’ve scored so many goals.

“It’s been great attacking play from Jack, David Ball, Lewis O’Brien, George (Miller) and Eoin Doyle. They’ve been allowed to have the freedom to go and play because of the discipline of the players behind them.”