STUART McCall admits it is a time for strong leadership as City look to pick themselves up from the heartbreak of play-off final defeat.

McCall will sit down with owners Edin Rahic and Stefan Rupp today for the first of several key meetings to shape where the club go from here.

Four of the Wembley line-up – Mark Marshall, James Meredith, Rory McArdle and Tony McMahon – are now out of contract, as well as Stephen Darby and Matt Kilgallon.

City had deliberately shelved talks with them until the club knew which division they would be in.

Those discussions will now take place this week but McCall revealed he is not too confident about keeping the bulk of the squad in place.

The Bantams boss said: "This is a big summer for the club. It will be a real shame if we can't improve again and push on.

"We said at the start, 'Let's improve on last season' and we did by getting to Wembley. We have to do that again.

"We will have the meetings and sit down with the players too but (the decisions) will come from the top.

"We have to have an open mind and I don't have a clue what the thinking is yet. I can't say too much because I just don't know what the meeting will bring.

"It would be nice if we could keep the majority of the group together. I wouldn't be over-confident of doing that but we'll see.

"We need strong leadership now, from myself as a manager and from the owners. We can't let the club just fall back into a lull. We need to kick on.

"We gave it a right good go this season but we've got to be stronger again next year. Recruitment has been good and we need to recruit well again."

Millwall's win at Wembley, clinched with a late goal from Steve Morison, was a huge body blow for the Bantams, who had finished six points above them in the final League One table.

Rupp said: "We will have to sit down with Stuart and discuss in detail what we want to do next season.

"He has done a great job and we were just unlucky in the final – but that's football."

Millwall bounced back from defeat to Barnsley in the play-off final 12 months ago to make a triumphant return.

But boss Neil Harris hung on to the bulk of his team – seven of them started both Wembley games. That is the challenge that now faces McCall and City if they are to follow the Lions' lead.

The Bantams chief said: "Neil was in this position last year but the thing for him was he kept the squad together. There was talk of (Lee) Gregory leaving but he kept him.

"They brought Shaun Hutchinson in for Mark Beevers and that is almost the only change they have had. They have kept that group together.

"It will be interesting to see if we can do the same. There haven't been talks yet. Nothing as yet.

"I do have a list of targets for next year as well but we will have to see what is said.

"Defeat like this is hard to take but I have been proud of the players this season and it has been a great journey.

"The performances and everything they have given us has been terrific. They certainly deserved to be at Wembley. Such thin lines, isn't it?"