CITY kick off their next busy spell with Gary Bowyer warning his team: “Don’t expect to play every game.”

Scunthorpe’s visit to Valley Parade this afternoon begins another hectic burst that also sees the Bantams feature on consecutive Tuesday nights.

With the likes of Jamie Devitt and hopefully Clayton Donaldson on their way back, Bowyer will use all his resources to cope with the heavy pitches at this stage of the season.

READ MORE: McGee's driving ambition with new club

He said: “We’ve lost one training pitch this year because of the weather. We just cannot get on it with the flooding.

“The other pitch takes a bit of a hammering, so you just have to adjust slightly.

“We’ve got five more games coming up now in the space of two weeks and it’s going to need everybody.

“We’re just settling one or two people’s expectations that they are not going to feature in all five.

“If they did, we’re putting them at risk and I don’t think I’d ever do that unless it was a final.”

Today’s game is City’s first at home since New Year’s Day, when the playing surface was struggling under the strain from staging two back-to-back at the end of the holiday schedule.

“It needed that rest,” admitted Bowyer. “I’ve had a look and it is a little bit better, so fair play to the staff down there.

“We’re now saying our prayers that there is no more rain.”

Luke McGee will make his debut after his hurried arrival on loan from Portsmouth until the end of the season.

Bowyer insists there is nothing else in the pipeline in the transfer window, although he is keeping his eyes open.

“Any manager up and down the country will say they are always looking.

“There was one that popped out the other day you thought, ‘wow, I never thought that was going to happen’. But I don’t think at this moment we’ll be bringing anybody in.

“Nobody has rung up and inquired about any of ours.”

Full back Jackson Longridge has made an encouraging start on loan at National League Torquay after failing to break into City’s plans.

With Omari Patrick doing well with Wrexham, the loan players could free up some cash if those clubs want to take it further.

Bowyer said: “The lads out on loan are doing ever so well and if something materialises with them and that creates a little bit of funds, then we might be able to bring somebody in.”