GARY Bowyer believes patience will be the key with City next season.

The Bantams will inevitably start among the League Two promotion favourites – but will also be the supposed big boys to be shot at by the rest.

Bowyer insists success must be hard earned if the club are to restore their fortunes following relegation.

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He said: “Just because we’ve been relegated doesn’t give us any right to think we’re just going to enter that league and be guaranteed automatic promotion.

“It just doesn’t work like that. There are other teams who won’t allow it.

“What we will be doing is working very hard to be very competitive. It’s a tough league to get out of.

“I can guarantee we will have an honest, hard-working bunch who are competitive in that league.

“I am fully aware of what challenge lies ahead next season.

“That said, I was fortunate enough that I recruited a good bunch of players at Blackpool and got straight back up.

“Obviously, that would be the aim for everyone. But there are no guarantees.”

Bowyer can talk from experience about the need to remain patient.

The Blackpool team he took straight back up from League Two in 2017 were down in 15th spot, eight points off the play-offs, with 13 games to go at the end of February.

Bowyer added: “That was two months or so before the end of the season so that just shows you how tough it is.

“Looking back, it took us a while to get used to League Two because it is slightly different.

“There is patience needed, for sure, because it is won over a 46-game season.

“There’s a hell of a lot of work going in here now and that will continue throughout the summer.

“But again, looking back at my time at Blackpool, assembling the squad was done over two windows.”