Michael Standing wants revenge for the worst day of his football career.

Standing, a Brighton fan, admits City's 3-2 loss at the Withdean Stadium in November hurt him deeply.

The midfielder, who is the great nephew of Seagulls chairman Dick Knight, only came on for the last five minutes. But in that time he was jeered by some home fans to complete the

misery.

Now Standing wants to put the record straight by leading the Bantams to a fourth home win on the bounce when Brighton come to town tomorrow.

He said: "It was an absolute nightmare, the lowest I have ever been. I was buzzing to play and then everything went wrong.

"I'd had a back injury so the manager didn't want to risk me. I thought I wouldn't get on and then when I did it was for the last few minutes and a few of the Brighton fans gave me some stick. I'd never even played for them.

"With us getting turned over and then hearing that, it was a really bad day all-round.

"It's fair to say I've got a score to settle tomorrow. And I'm due a goal - it would be the perfect time to do it."

Standing is well aware, though, of the challenge facing City. Brighton are fighting for their lives and will be chasing a first league double.

The Bantams will have to be on their guard to avoid falling victims to the bottom club for a second time - as they did with Stockport last season.

Standing warned: "If we're not right tomorrow it could happen again. Brighton have improved massively from when we last played them.

"We're on a very good run ourselves but we have to be right or it will backfire. They are coming off a great win over Wolves and don't concede a lot of goals. It's going to be a very tight game.

"But if we can beat them, then for the first time we can start looking above us. We will be 13 points off the bottom three with a game in hand and can then think about aiming for the top half."

Standing, who turns 22 next month, has cemented a position in City's midfield where his partnership with goal-hungry Claus Jorgensen has been a driving force behind the revival.

He added: "That Brighton game was a bit of a turning point for me. I came back against Wimbledon the next week and scored a couple of goals and although the manager left me out for a bit to change the system, I've been involved regularly since we started playing more football.

"It suits me a lot more now and I'm getting on the ball. I feel more of a part of it and have settled down into the role, dropping back to pick up possession early and then passing it on.

"It's working well alongside Claus. People say I'm an attacking midfielder but he gets forward more.

"He's on a great run of goals at the moment but I'm as happy as him if he keeps on scoring."