MARK Bower is pleased by the impact Avenue director of football Martin Knight has made since arriving at Horsfall.

The 50-year-old, who has more than 25 years of experience in optimising the commercial performance of retail businesses, joined in April.

Since then, he has helped bring players in, reformed the academy and outlined lofty ambitions for the future.

Bower believes Knight’s more professional approach has already helped the club progress.

He said: “He has been really good. He has come in an shaken a few things up. It is what it needed, an overhaul and someone controlling things on a consistent basis.

“Martin’s expertise has gone a long way to getting that in place. He has made a lot of great foundations for us to build on.

“As a manager, we all want more money, but to know where you stand and to be left to get on with your job is exactly what you want. That is what Martin’s arrival has given us and I look forward to working with him.”

On the pitch, the Bradford boss is hoping to avoid the disaster which was last season.

After recruiting well, Bower thinks relegation will not be on the cards come the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

He added: “It is difficult, we don’t know what we are going to come up against. We need to get some points on the board and look solid.

“Last season, we finished bottom of the league, we have got to make sure our first aim is to stay up as it has been in every season that I have been at the club.

“Who knows what can happen if you get a good spirit and a team playing well, but the target is to build a base and do better than last season.”