BILLY Clarke has been backed for a “massive” role in City’s fight to beat the drop.

The Irishman is pushing to make his first league start for 14 months in Saturday’s vital Valley Parade showdown with Plymouth.

Clarke has made two sub appearances since returning to his former club a fortnight ago.

Read more: Billy Clarke on the changes under Edin Rahic

David Hopkin highlighted his 20-minute outing in the Fleetwood defeat and insists the experienced striker is ready to play longer.

He said: “Billy has been out a long time but he’s come in the last 10 days at training and looked sharp.

“He’s working very hard. He’s in first thing in the morning in the gym and then he’s one of the last to leave.

“It’s a good time for him to be involved. He was desperate to get back to the club and wants to make a big difference.”

Clarke last began a league game in December 2017 at Blackburn, when he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The serious injury kept him sidelined for 11 months but the 31-year-old has made three starts for Charlton since his recovery – and played the full 90 minutes in an FA Cup second-round loss to Doncaster in December.

Hopkin believes his presence is another positive for the squad as their survival battle heads into the final 14 games.

The Bantams boss added: “You can see a smile on Billy’s face every day that he comes in and he’s delighted to be back.

“You saw his quality when he came on against Fleetwood. He showed some great touches and his ability to find space on the pitch.

“Hopefully his experience and energy will play a massive part between now and May.”

Lewis O’Brien says the arrival of Clarke and Jacob Butterfield since deadline day has lifted the mood in the dressing room.

The midfielder said: “They are both very good players and good people so it’s been good to add them to the squad.

“It helps a lot because it creates a bit of competition in and around and that should up everyone else’s game. They’ve got the experience as well, which is what you need at this stage of the season.”

Paul Caddis added: “Both of them are top players and more of that calibre can only help us.”

Bottom side Wimbledon's win at Walsall on Tuesday cut the gap between them and City to six points. But it also kept Walsall just three above on exactly the same goal difference as Hopkin's men.

He said: “It’s a very competitive division. We’ve managed to pull another five or six teams in, which was important.

“That was our first goal. Now we have to push on again and try to build the momentum to get away from where we are in the league.”