“I HEARD some people saying it was the worst ever. I can assure them it’s not.”

Lee Bullock chose the wrong game to return to Valley Parade for the first time since packing in as a professional.

The 40-year-old, who played 129 times in City colours between 2008 and 2012, was the special guest in the banqueting suite for Hartlepool’s visit.

He witnessed a shocker as the Bantams tumbled to a first home loss of the season against a team who had the worst away record.

And that raked up some painful memories of other miserable midweek nights that the former midfielder had tried to bury.

“It did bring it flooding back,” he said. “I’ve played in many of them when all of a sudden the opposition are having the night of their lives under the lights.

“It brought back memories for me of games like Rochdale when we lost 3-0 on a Tuesday night.

“There was the time when we were getting ‘ole’d’ by the Accrington fans when they were beating us 3-0. That did take some strong mentality to come back from.”

Bullock has been there when the players have come in for heavy stick from the stands and knows how hard it is to deal with the weight of expectation at City when things turn - as was the case last night.

“I was reading the programme and it was talking about the outside noise and the players having to be good enough to cut that out.

“But from my experience, that outside noise is only going to get louder and louder.

“When it does, those lads have got to turn into men very quickly because the pressure that comes from playing for a huge city will continue to mount.

“It becomes a very difficult place to play and it can be hard on the road as well because you are a massive scalp, simple as. Every team in that league wants to beat Bradford.

“Every single player that signs for Bradford, myself included, says the same about joining a massive club with a great crowd.

“But you’ve got to get your head round it quickly and you’ve got to be able to play with and against it at times.

“When things are going well, it’s brilliant and the place is rocking. When they got the goal last night, you suddenly hear a roar and a little bit of intensity comes into the game.

“But on the other side of it, when it’s not there and your own fans are singing about only losing 1-0, then the men in the team have got to stand up and be counted.”

Bullock, who is joint manager with Whitby in the Northern Premier League, admitted that big-club pressure remains a constant at Valley Parade – and some can cope with it far better than others.

He added: “It’s always there and something you’ve got to deal with.

“You can see how far it takes you when things are going well. Look at how the lads did after I’d left, they were on the crest of a wave for a few years.

“But you’ve got to try your absolute utmost to prevent it going the other way. That’s when you’ve got to get on the ball and be brave.

“It needs to be done and I’m sure it will. That was their first defeat at home, so Valley Parade is obviously a difficult place to come.

“The manager looks very thorough and demanding and I’m sure he won’t allow players to shirk and hide.

“But the lads have got to grasp the size of the city they are playing for.”

Bullock agrees that players can also carry the can from previous disappointments and seasons of under-achievement.

“That happened a few times when I was there,” he said. “You get the frustration of supporters having paid to watch poor teams over the years and some of these lads may be getting that.

“The players have got to appreciate how lucky they are to play for this big a club and go make it happen.

“You can have really good times there if you get it right.

“A lot of players have struggled but also a lot have made themselves heroes over the last few years.

“You can disappear and go back to a level that suits - or you can go on to be a Gary Jones, James Hanson or Nahki Wells. It’s set up to be remembered for a long time.”

Whitby , whose team include Callum Cooke's brother Liam in midfield, are currently in the promotion mix in fifth spot.

Bullock’s men also enjoyed local bragging rights with a big win over neighbours Scarborough.

“We had the chance to go top a few weeks ago and bottled it losing three games in a row.

“But we beat Scarborough 3-0, which is our equivalent of Bradford against Leeds.

“The crowd was 1,300 and there was police segregation, the works. Usually at our level everyone mingles but that one had to be all-ticket.”