CITY have been reminded to keep their cool in the heat of the League One relegation battle.

David Hopkin’s side welcome Plymouth to Valley Parade tomorrow for another match-up with big implications on the survival picture.

And the Bantams boss has stressed the need for his players not to lose their heads as the pressure builds to stay in the division.

Hopkin said: “It’s down to (holding your) nerve and who can come through games without losing their composure.

“Injuries and suspensions are a big thing now coming into these busy months. It’s important we don’t lose players to silly bookings or red cards.

“This is when your discipline, mentally and physically, comes in to how you’re going to do things and how players look after their life between now and May.”

City have the second highest card count in League One behind Fleetwood and Hopkin has rammed home the message to his squad to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“We can’t afford to have players missing games through anything silly,” he added. “Discipline from the players now is paramount.

“Keep your best 18 players available every week and then it makes your job easier.”

RECAP: O'Brien backs Bantams to find answer to spoiling tactics

Former Plymouth defender Kelvin Mellor will be added to the City squad for the weekend if he comes through training today unscathed.

But Calum Woods faces a bit longer out of action after the left back tweaked his hamstring again doing some running.

Hopkin said: “Calum had a setback in training and he’s still feeling his hamstring a wee bit. He might be another week or two.

“It’s disappointing because we thought we’d have him back. But we just need to be patient with him and hopefully he’ll not be out too long.

“He came in and gave us that stability and experience. In the two games he did play, I thought he was fantastic.”

Fifty points is usually seen as the safety mark for staying up. But with so many teams currently in the mix, Hopkin admits that may not be accurate.

City are currently on 32 but only one point away from escaping the bottom four.

The City chief admitted: “If you were asked, maybe 50 points would have got you safe but it might be a bit more.

“When I came in, the main thing was to make sure were still in it by December and January.

“We’re into February and nearly March now and we’re still round and about it. The players deserve great credit for that.

“March and April will be massive because you are playing five or six games in each month.

“We just need to keep going because we’ve still got everybody to play around us.”

Hopkin also plans to decide on whether to make an offer to Canadian free agent David Edgar, who is still training with City. Lewis McGugan has gone but the club are mulling over making a move for the former Birmingham utility man.