David Wetherall has good reason to be pleased with his work.

The promotion of four young lads into the senior squad reflects very well on City’s youth department.

After a year of gross under-achievement, there is one small corner of Valley Parade where all is pretty well. Wetherall and Peter Horne could be excused for some mutual back-slapping.

But the head of youth’s delight at seeing Dominic Rowe, Alex Flett, Darren Stephenson and Adam Robinson upgraded to the senior ranks is not a selfish one.

Instead, Wetherall can use their good news as a selling point to attract the next generation to the Bantams.

In the fierce competition to pick up bright young sparks, City have hard evidence to show that there is a genuine route up the ladder towards the first team.

“We’ve got massive competition around here,” said Wetherall before the names of half-a-dozen other clubs tripped off his tongue. “So for us, we hope that seeing lads like this getting their chance will make us a more attractive proposition.

“Every youth department in the country will say that you need to show players that opportunity when you are trying to recruit them. We’ve got four going in (to the first-team squad) this year and three have already made their debut.

“If somebody has got the opportunity of choosing Leeds, Huddersfield or us, maybe they will think that Bradford City would be the best option now for that reason.

“We know the vast majority of that choice comes from the status of the club and a lot of it is what happens on the pitch with the first team. That’s the challenge for us.

“We can try and put things in place that will make us more attractive. Showing that the opportunity exists to move up to the first team might be one area of advantage we have over our immediate rivals.

“Of course, it does reflect well on the department, but I’ve got to make really clear that neither myself nor Peter are desperately trying to get players signed on just to make us look good.

“The decision to take the four isn’t essentially ours, although we were involved in the process. The manager has to be happy that these lads are worthy of going into his squad.”

On the face of it, elevating players from the youth ranks looks a much cheaper option than recruiting from outside. Wetherall, who has praised Peter Jackson for taking such a close interest in the club’s youngsters, believes there are two ways of looking at it.

“Some people would say that you shouldn’t take a chance if money’s tight. The money spent on the young lads could, if you round it all up, go towards getting a more experienced player at this level.

“On the other hand, these young players are not expensive. They can be members of the squad with real potential who will be cheaper than if you went out and looked elsewhere.

“I think the financial situation at the club, along with the uncertainty regarding other things, is probably one reason why three of them have been offered six-month contracts.

“They’ve got potential but are no way near the finished articles. Players need time to realise that potential so maybe it’s a little bit contradictory.

“But I can’t criticise that decision because we all understand the finances. If these players don’t take to that environment, then the club’s not committed itself to the whole season.

“So it’s just important that the lads hit the ground running and begin to fulfil that potential quickly.”

Wetherall and Horne will inevitably keep a keen eye on their progress but the attention now switches to the next round of trainees dreaming of following in the same footsteps.

Wetherall added: “We’re always here for the four lads if they need anything but they’re essentially not our players now. They will be dealing with the first-team manager and aren’t our point of focus.

“We’ve got another set of lads to deal with for the next two years. And hopefully they too will become established players and move up.”