Jon McLaughlin has been warned to expect a battle for City’s number one shirt.

McLaughlin will kick off the campaign as the senior keeper after impressing Peter Taylor with some superb performances at the tail end of last season.

But new back-up Lloyd Saxton is being tipped to push him hard for the starting jersey.

The 6ft 3in 20-year-old, who signed for the Bantams after being released at Plymouth, has not played a first-team game.

But Argyle goalkeeping coach Geoff Crudgington believes the rookie is capable of mounting a serious challenge to McLaughlin, who has only got eight outings under his belt.

Crudgington said: “You’ve got two young lads together at Bradford so it’s an ideal opportunity for him. Lloyd’s not going in there behind an established keeper who’s had the shirt for years.

“Lloyd has developed well in his time with us. He’s a good size and works hard with a great attitude. Lloyd should do a good job up there.”

Saxton wants to get his career back on track after a serious injury to his right wrist wrecked his last season at Home Park.

The Stoke-born stopper had been a frequent back-up on the Plymouth bench the previous year and was expecting to feature more.

Saxton made his first senior outing in a pre-season friendly at Morecambe and saved a penalty. But he was nursing the injury at the time and, when the full extent of the damage was diagnosed afterwards, he was forced to go under the surgeon’s knife.

“Lloyd had this problem at the end of the previous season,” said Crudgington, who played one game on loan for City in 1971 during his long career.

“We thought it was just a sore wrist but it turned out to be a fracture.

“He got most of pre-season training under his belt but then they finally decided he needed an operation. That obviously put him back a long time.

“He didn’t really start training properly again until early December and that put him behind the eight ball because we had other goalkeepers in.

“So with us going down, Paul (Mariner) just thought it was best to let him go. He has needed some time to get over the injury but that should be okay now and this is a good chance.”

Saxton was on Notts County’s books as a schoolboy before joining Plymouth as a 16-year-old prospect.