Bradford City striker Jake Young starting to impress Barrow boss Wild

The City forward is still looking for his first Bluebirds goal after joining in the January window until the end of the season.

According to whoscored.com, Young has played 317 minutes and averaged 1.3 shots per game.

But having started the last three matches, boss Pete Wild believes Young is starting to show his potential.

Wild said: "Jake has done really well and unfortunately, he came in from Bradford maybe not at the level that we thought he would come in at.

“It has taken us a little bit of time to get him back up to the level where we know he can be and I think he can still do more.”

Young, who signed a three-year deal with City last summer, had not featured since October when Mark Hughes gave him the green light to make a temporary move to Cumbria to get game-time.

But the 21-year-old’s first six appearances for Barrow were all as sub - with the longest being a 35-minute run-out against Salford last month.

Young, though, has since started against Walsall, Sutton and Harrogate.

Jake Young celebrates a City goal with Liam Ridehalgh (Image: Tom Pearson)

Wild has recently highlighted the “importance of wide areas” - and Young played 85 minutes in the last home game.

“Eighty-five minutes is the most he has played in a long time,” Wild told our sister paper, The Mail (Cumbria).

“He is really bringing to the party what he is good at.

"He is really good on the ball, he likes to face people up, he has got good pace to get down the sides of people and that is why we brought him in. He is really showing those qualities now.”

Last week’s 1-0 loss to Harrogate, who included Matty Foulds and Levi Sutton, was Barrow’s first defeat in six games. That run began when they won at Valley Parade.

Young could still do City’s promotion push a favour before the end of the season. Barrow’s final two home games are against Carlisle and Stevenage.