CITY can only relish the Boxing Day party feeling at Valley Parade by winning.

The first Christmas home game since 2017 promises to be a memorable afternoon as the Bantams chase a seventh straight victory.

But Graham Alexander insists his team will only do it justice against Morecambe by taking all three points.

“We have to play a very good game rather than the occasion,” he said.

“We want the supporters to make the occasion and the team to win the game. That’s what we have to do.

“They go hand in hand. They can help each other but we have to focus on what we’ve got to do on the pitch. We can’t get wrapped up in anything else at all.”

Nearly 3,000 away fans roared City to a fourth league win on the bounce at Doncaster and they can expect more of the same as the season reaches the midway point against the Shrimps.

Alexander said: “The support we had at Doncaster certainly helped us when we went 1-0 down. The noise they made and the backing they were giving us helped 100 per cent.

“But we have to focus on what we have to do as individual footballers in the structure of the team to help us win a game.

“We’ve got a lot of experience in the team that will help that happen.

“People like to talk about bunches of games and say that Christmas is so important and Easter as well.

“But I don’t know how you can differentiate between what games are important. Every time you cross that white line, that’s the most important game you’re ever going to play.

“The next one is always the biggest one for me. It might be a cliché but it really is because it leads on to something.

“The next game will be the most important for us every week from now until the end of the season.

Pattison in contention to replace Walker

“Then you look at the league table after 46 games and it means something – success, failure or potential success.

“You can’t judge it until the league is done. We’ll keep focusing on the next job at hand and give it our best shot.”

Alex Pattison is likely to get the nod for his first start in nearly three months if Jamie Walker is ruled out.

The Scot hobbled off after taking a knock on his shin at Doncaster and Alexander may be forced to reshuffle a line-up that has stayed the same for the last three league outings.

He said: “I’m not looking to make changes but when you’ve four games in 10 days and (you see) the way the players compete.

“Like I’ve said, Jamie always throws himself into challenges in training so sometimes he’s going to come out with a little knock.

“We’ll see how he is but if not, we know we’ve got good players to come into that team and slip right into it.”

Pattison last started at Tranmere on October 3 but was forced off in the first half of Mark Hughes’ final game after a recurrence of his hamstring trouble.

He has made three consecutive appearances from the bench since coming back.

Morecambe form no surprise to Alexander

Former Bantams boss Derek Adams left Morecambe last month to return to Ross County in Scotland. But the unfashionable West Lancashire club have continued their solid season.

“I don’t know anyone who is surprised,” said Alexander. “It’s such a competitive environment in the EFL.

“They got promoted a couple of years ago and have been in League One, so why shouldn’t any team be competing well if they’ve got the right players, the right coach and the ambition?

“For me, it’s about us and making sure we have that discipline and focus over the holiday period when everyone else is doing things you can enjoy yourself but not have to run around for 100 minutes the next day.

“I trust the players. I can tell from how they come into train and the physical output who is living right and who isn’t.

“I think these guys are doing it right.”