Imagine it's Valley Parade - that will be the instruction when City step out at Cheltenham tomorrow.

It will be the club's first trip to Whaddon Road but Colin Todd wants his players to forget the unglamorous surroundings and treat it like a home game.

In a role reversal of a year ago, the Bantams are unbeaten in five games on their own patch but have lost three out of four on the road.

City have returned empty-handed from the last two trips to Brentford and Swansea, despite decent displays, but Todd is hoping that the boost of last week's impressive win over Port Vale will spin off for their visit to Gloucestershire.

The City boss said: "We've had three very difficult away games and could have quite easily come away with points - but people also forget we had a very good win at Crewe.

"I'm a great believer that if we continue to play in that manner then we will turn someone over again. But football is about picking up points and we have to go to Cheltenham and take our home form into an away performance.

"Cheltenham are newly-promoted and have started quite well - and if the opposition are going to drag us down to their level, then we will suffer, but I don't think that will happen.

"They will be up for it and this is a big game for them but, if we want to stay up there in the table, we've got to turn the home consistency into picking up points away - and not just one point but hopefully all three."

Todd is full of praise for the efforts of his midfield so far, an area which did not deliver last season.

"It was a grey area last year because there was no continuity; I probably only named the same four twice all season," he said.

"But in terms of performances, they under-achieved. That was there for everyone to see and I probably had a stronger squad with Lee Crooks and Tom Kearney to put in there as well.

"We had people who could come in, which may not be the case at the moment, but the good thing is that people aren't resting on their laurels and are making it happen.

"The one thing we strive for is consistency, especially across that middle line. We didn't create enough last season and didn't give the strikers the opportunities."

Jermaine Johnson has caught the eye with a couple of livewire displays on the right wing but Todd would not be afraid to employ the pacy Jamaican in a different role.

"JJ can also play central and he could also go up front," said the City boss.

"There might be times when I play him down the middle and when we tried it for a little spell at Swansea, he caused them one or two problems."