CALLUM Cooke admits there will be a tinge of envy if Bolton seal promotion from League Two today.

Ian Evatt’s side will go up if they beat Exeter – three months after being involved with City in a survival scrap at the wrong end of the table.

It is an amazing turnaround, which the Bantams were matching up to their 1-1 draw at Valley Parade at the start of March.

But City have picked up just 11 points from the 13 games since and face Scunthorpe this afternoon with both sides in a five-match losing rut.

Cooke, who sat out 10 of those with a hip injury, felt Bolton’s charge has just added to the frustration.

He said: “It is what might have been. At one point, we were in their position and level on points.

“But we sort of fell off a little bit and they carried it on.

“I always thought they would be there or thereabouts and they have some good players and are a good team. It is a shame.

“It is a question that you cannot answer in terms of what would have been. We will never know that of course.

“Fair play to them, to go on that run - because at one point they were down in a relegation fight - you have to show credit where it is due.”

Cooke’s injury proved a pivotal blow after a five-game winning streak had generated play-off hopes. City’s yo-yo season is now finishing on another downer.

Cooke added: “Being honest, and we have to be honest, the aim this season was to be top of the tree.

“Obviously, we had the bad start and maybe expectations changed from that to staying in the league.

“We steadied the ship and got out of trouble and were believing we could be on the verge of something special.

“It is a shame I got injured, although I am not saying it was all down to that injury and myself personally, but I felt I was in a really good run of form and the team was.

“If I was fit, maybe we might have been up there, but there were a few out, not just me, who had been in a good run, and maybe it upset the balance of the team.”