Jon McLaughlin can sense that City have already earned the respect of the rest of League One.

The Bantams may be new boys to the division but their solid start has brought them to the attention of the pack.

Three months into the campaign and they are well established in the play-off group in sixth spot.

It means they are no longer under the radar but McLau-ghlin is confident they can cope with any peer pressure.

The City stopper said: “These days you’ve got to be up for any challenge that comes your way.

“If teams are prepared for you to be a good side and it’s going to be another battle, then that’s just another hurdle you’ve got to overcome.

“We’ll keep enjoying moving up a league and having teams coming to Valley Parade or going to them and still giving us a lot of respect.

“That’s a fantastic feather in the cap for us having just come up. We are a confident group.

“The more we keep performing like we have been, the more confident we will become. It’s the same for the fans and people looking in, who will start to see us as real contenders.

“We fancy ourselves to win any game at Valley Parade, no matter who we’re playing in this division.

“We’ve shown that we can also perform away from home. Keep doing that and we’re going to be right up there contending and that’s fantastic for us.”