Raffaele De Vita reckons it’s going to be tougher than ever to stay with the League One leading pack this season.

The Italian winger hopes to keep his place in City’s plans for tomorrow’s Valley Parade crunch clash with Wolves – the first visit from the Molineux giants for 11 years.

Kenny Jackett’s side are overwhelming favourites to bounce straight back to the Championship, and sit in third with only one defeat.

Coming hot on the heels of the midweek draw at Preston, City find themselves in the firing line of some of the division’s biggest guns.

De Vita was in the Swindon side that reached the play-offs last season before cruelly exiting with a penalty defeat at Brentford.

But he reckons the competition facing his current club has gone up a notch this time round.

He said: “I probably won’t be the only one to say it’s completely different. It is harder this year.

“Teams like Wolves and Peterborough are always going to be up there because they have money to spend and big squads.

“There’s been a few teams that have been disappointing, like Bristol City and Sheffield United. Nobody would have expected to have seen them down there.

“But they will come out of it. They are certainly not destined to be struggling for a long time.

“It was like Bournemouth last season. We knew they would come up the table with the money they had, and they did.

“In League One, it’s always like this if you have the money and the squad. When you get to the games in January and playing Tuesday and Saturday, you need the players and those teams will come out the strongest.”

The Bantams trail Wolves by eight points but De Vita sees plenty of positives from their progress since winning promotion.

“This season there are a lot more really strong teams in the league and it’s not easy to be up there.

“We’ve had two big clubs this week playing against Preston and Wolves. These games don’t get any better in League One.

“But the lads have been brilliant and we’ve had a really good start. We’ve got to carry that on.

“A couple of weeks ago we were fourth pushing to maybe get the third spot and look for the top. We’ve had a little setback but we’ve still done well.

“The main thing is that we start winning at home again. Do that and then any results you can get away are a bonus.”

De Vita’s full league debut at Deepdale followed ten outings off the bench and he supplied the cross for James Hanson’s opener. But he was annoyed with himself for not burying a second-half shot of his own.

He added: “I’ve had chances and I’m disappointed not to have scored a couple already. Nick a goal and that will change my confidence a lot and the manager’s thinking.

“I can’t really complain (about not starting) because the team have been doing well. It would be hard to knock on the gaffer’s door.

“Hartlepool was a setback for me because it was a bad performance. It was my chance to stake my claim and I missed it unfortunately.

“But in England the seasons are so long and you are going to get games. Things change quickly and it is a matter of making the most of those chances when they come along.”