GREG Abbott has left Bradford City, the club have confirmed.

The former head of recruitment's departure follows that of goalkeeping coach Steve Banks last week as David Hopkin looks to mould his own backroom team.

Abbott said: "Coming back to Bradford City has been fantastic for me and there have been plenty of ups and downs along the way.

“The club means a great deal to me. I have been a manager before and have to accept the gaffer’s decision.

“I wish Stefan, Edin, the staff and the players all the best. I will stay in touch and offer any help I can.

"I want to express my sincere gratitude towards Stefan and Edin, the supporters and everyone at the club for supporting me through my recent illness."

Hopkin added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Greg for all of his efforts during my time at the club.

“He leaves with our best wishes and I am sure the Bradford fans will join me and the staff here in wishing him all the very best for the future.”

Chairman Edin Rahic said: “On behalf of everyone involved here, I would like to thank Greg for his efforts since returning to the club. We wish him and his family well for the future.”

Hopkin is trying to bring in an established sports science expert and may also look at experienced back-up on the training pitch.

He said: “It’s something we will hopefully get sorted in the next few weeks.

“It’s got to be things that will be positive for the club.

“It’s got to have that positive effect on where we want to go.

“As I always said when I came in, the existing staff would stay until such times as I thought that we’d have to look and see what we needed.

“I think we need a couple of new voices and that’s something that hopefully can be sorted out.”

Abbott, a hugely popular figure during his combative playing days with City, was switched to the coaching side by Rahic in the summer as part of the team around Michael Collins. But he had not been in the dug-out in recent weeks.

Martin Drury remains the only survivor of the brief Collins era and his position is not thought to be under threat.

Hopkin added: “The staff that have been here have been fantastic for me. It’s not a case that I’ve been desperate or worried.

“I want to ensure that everything is done properly. The staff who are still here are working really hard behind the scenes to make sure things are done in a professional manner.

“We’ve done a lot of work that fans don’t see but it’s going in the right direction. We have to start from the basics.”