COLCHESTER hope to catch City still on Cloud Nine after their stunning win at Stamford Bridge.

U’s boss Tony Humes, eyeing back-to-back wins for the first time this season, expects a tough game tomorrow – on a tough Valley Parade pitch.

But he wonders if the aftermath of beating Chelsea could prove a lingering distraction for the home side.

Humes said: “They had a terrific result which no-one could have foreseen and they’ll be on a high.

“Hopefully they’ll rest on their laurels a little bit and we can take advantage of it.

“They’ll be very confident but our players will be very focused, going into what will be a very tough game.

“Bradford will be strong, resolute, organised and very disciplined - everything you expect from Phil Parkinson’s teams.

“But we’ll go into the game on the back of some good performances and results.

“We want to put two consecutive results together and it’s a great challenge for the players on Saturday.”

Having watched DVDs of recent City home games, Humes is well prepared for the difficult playing surface his team will encounter.

He added: “I think it’ll be a different sort of game to the one we had earlier in the season.

“The pitch was decent and both teams tried to play football.

“But having seen Bradford’s pitch over the last couple of weeks, it’ll be a different proposition.

“It’s something both sides will need to adapt to and play our football in the right place at the right time.”

Humes had only just taken over the Colchester helm when City drew 0-0 there in September. He has shaken up the squad during the transfer window - as opposite number Phil Parkinson expected.

The City chief said: “Tony has changed it round a little bit but quite often that happens in this month. Teams evolve like we did this time last year to some extent.

“Going into a club as a new manager takes time. But Tony benefited from his work with the youth team and he taught many of the players growing up. That will have influenced the chairman’s decision to give him the job."