GREG Abbott believes that Bradford City are getting their identity back under Gary Bowyer.

Abbott can sense a reconnect around the club after the damage caused during the divisive reign of former chairman Edin Rahic.

City’s former head of recruitment and assistant coach, who left Valley Parade 13 months ago, believes Bowyer is the ideal man to lead the recovery because he gets what they are about.

“I actually wanted to get him in a lot earlier than we actually did,” said Abbott in his first media interview since his departure.

“Gary understands football at that level, understands the culture and what Bradford City means to the supporters.

“Gary’s organised his staff and his players into a side that are capable of getting out of League Two. Then he will know what he needs to try to get them out of League One.

“It’s small steps at the minute. But he’s the right person with the right staff around him and he’s got the right people above him.”

Abbott admits his part in the Rahic era which saw City plummet from play-off finalists in 2017 to relegation last season. But he can see the club pulling themselves together again in a bid to bounce back up at the first attempt.

He added: “What Bradford City is good at is recovery. That’s what they will do.

“I love going back now. I sit behind the press box with Mark Ellis and watch the game.

“I’m loving the enjoyment of the fans again. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose but I see there is that buzz back around the place.

“That is the start of the recovery at the football club.

“I still get goose bumps when the song comes on before the match. You can see everybody’s getting their bounce back, their swagger, there are smiles on faces again.

“Stefan (Rupp) deserves a lot of credit for probably realising that he got one or two things wrong and enlisting the help of Julian (Rhodes) who I think has done a wonderful job.

“They will make poor decisions from time to time but I’m sure they will make a lot more good ones. And any decision they make will be for the greater good and not because they have no knowledge of what they are doing.

“That club belongs to the city and the supporters. I absolutely believe that.

“It was a message I was never short of telling people above me all the time I was there.

“This club belongs to the Bradford people and be very careful how you treat it.

“It’s a special club with special supporters who need it to be run in the right and proper way. We got it wrong.”