PHIL Parkinson admits City are facing their biggest game of the season tomorrow as they battle to keep their play-off bid alive.

Parkinson will take a depleted squad to Gillingham as injuries and the suspension for Chris Routis leave resources stretched.

They are hard hit at centre half where Andrew Davies and Gary MacKenzie are both still missing. City will also carefully check on the condition of Mark Yeates after his shoulder popped out in both games over Easter.

The Bantams trail sixth-placed Chesterfield by six points with six games to go

Parkinson said: “We are right down to the bare bones and five or six of the kids are travelling with us.

“It makes it such an important game for us. If we get through this weekend and we’re still in touching distance, we’ve got players who are coming back.

“In the context of the season, I do think this is a huge game after not getting the result on Monday and looking at the league table.

“We will need some character. But I do believe we have that in the squad.”

Davies is running at 70 per cent and will be back before the end of the season. MacKenzie is undergoing intensive treatment but has still got swelling on his injured ankle.

“He’s trying everything he can to get himself fit,” added Parkinson. “He’s got stitches and the wound has healed but it’s the ligament damage we’re more concerned about.

“Yeatesy is a difficult one. We played him Friday at Doncaster and he did well but his shoulder popped out.

“Speaking to the physio department, we thought it was better not to start him on Monday to give it more time to settle.

“He came off the bench and, lo and behold, it popped out again. That was the quick turn-around of games.

“We’ve got a decision to make because he wants to play and wants to be involved. That’s fantastic because I know it’s very painful when it happens.

“But after this, we’ve still got five games to go and we’ll decide whether we give him that little bit longer to strengthen it up before he comes back into the team.”

City cannot recall Alan Sheehan in the first 28 days of his loan from Peterborough so Parkinson will pick between Gary Liddle and Tony McMahon to partner Rory McArdle.

The City boss added: “We’ve had some bad luck to lose three in the same position for different reasons because we do have a very tight-knit squad.

“But within that we do have some very versatile players with the likes of Gary Liddle and Tony McMahon who can fill in a lot of positions.

“Lidds has done great for us in midfield so you don’t really want to take him out of there but if we have to, we have to. McMahon can play centre back as well – he’s played everywhere in his career.”

Liddle is favourite to get the nod after filling in during the Preston game. City did appeal the Routis dismissal, claiming that striker Joe Garner made a meal of it, but that was rejected.

Liddle said: “I haven’t played centre back too much here so it felt a bit strange going back there last game. But if I’m called upon, I’m confident I can do a decent job.

“I spent my whole first year at Notts County there so it’s a role I’m very familiar with.

“You can’t take any risks back there, especially in this league where it’s more a case of get it up the other end of the field from one goal to the other. But it's a role I’ve played in many times in my career.”

Parkinson believes mid-table Gillingham are not guaranteed survival on 52 points – six above the drop zone.

“I think they might need another few points to be definitely safe with the way the bottom teams are winning.

“I wouldn’t be happy if I was on 52 points at this stage of the season. I don’t think they’re safe yet.

“Crawley have had as good a run as anyone and Orient are a decent team. I think you’ll need 54 to stay up.”