“This could save us.”

Those were the four words uttered by Bradford (Park Avenue) captain Lucas Odunston to his partner while the pair of them were watching TV on Wednesday night, as he found out iconic Bradford City striker James Hanson was coming out of retirement at the age of 36 to join the Horsfall outfit.

Avenue are two points off safety in the Northern Premier League Premier Division as it stands with five games to go.

But with Hanson available to feature in this weekend’s Easter double header, away to Ilkeston Town today then at home to Radcliffe on Monday, could the veteran be the catalyst for a great escape?

Odunston beamed: “James is going to be a big boost for us, on and off the pitch.

“You could see on social media that our fans were delighted with us signing him, and if that means more of them come down to support us for the rest of the season, that can only help the club.

“And the gaffer (Danny Whitaker) has been saying we need some experience in the team, as we’re a very young side.

“We need James’ know how and for him to be no-nonsense with us and tell us, including myself, how it is.

“There’s maybe been a lack of calling players out this season, because you don’t really want to with them being so young, so we could perhaps do with James offering that.

“We also could really use his height, as we’ve been conceding a lot from corners lately.

“Hopefully James is someone who can help dig us out of this hole and keep us up.”

It was not just the fans who got excited when the signing was announced either, with Odunston laughing: “I was sat watching Married at First Sight with my missus on Wednesday night when the news got announced at 7pm.

“I turned to her and I just said ‘this could save us’.

“Us lads had been talking in our players’ group chat as we’d heard a big name was coming back to Bradford to join us, but we didn’t know who.

“When it was confirmed it was James, the chat was buzzing again with all the players messaging.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Avenue skipper Lucas Odunston is delighted that the club have signed James Hanson, but now he needs to try and lead the team to survival.Avenue skipper Lucas Odunston is delighted that the club have signed James Hanson, but now he needs to try and lead the team to survival. (Image: John Rhodes.)

Avenue and Odunston are not naïve though, and know Hanson is not some automatic golden ticket to survival.

The skipper was here last season too when Avenue went down from National League North, but he said: “I think this is bigger than that, because it never looks great for any club to suffer a double relegation.

“It’s a shame because I think the club keeps coming on leaps and bounds in terms of being more tight-knit, like a family, and engaging with the Bradford community.

“It would be a kick in the teeth to go down again when we’re starting to prove our worth off the pitch and now starting to get some decent results on it these last few weeks.”

It has all been a lot to deal with for the 23-year-old, who has had the armband for several months now after injuries ended club captain Mitch Lund’s season.

But Odunston said: “It’s probably been easier to deal with because it kind of fell to me to be captain, and I still had Luca Havern and Mitch to lean on.

“Jordan Preston is that bit older and more experienced than me too, so he’s probably more of a voice than I am in the dressing room.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Jordan Preston has been a huge help to younger team-mate Lucas Odunston over the last few months.Jordan Preston has been a huge help to younger team-mate Lucas Odunston over the last few months. (Image: Martin Taylor.)

“It’s not a massive weight on my shoulders because I know I have people who can help me.

“But I’ll always be proud to wear the armband and if I can give 100 per cent and lead by example with it on, that can help us pick up those important points we need.”