GARY Bowyer feels there are more non-league gems to be discovered after City captured defender Tyler French.

The 20-year-old will make a jump of four levels up the football pyramid following his move from part-timers AFC Sudbury.

Bowyer’s first summer signing Ben Richards-Everton also began his career in non-league and the Bantams boss insists it remains an area worth considering.

He said: “I think there is a lot more in the non-league market.

“When I was at Blackpool, I took Nick Anderton from Barrow after doing well there. He’s just played half a season at Accrington.

“They are definitely out there for sure and they’ve got that hunger. We’ll see how Tyler goes.”

Bowyer sees French as a “project” as the youngster adapts to the extra demands of the professional game.

But Bowyer stressed the door is open to push himself straight into contention.

He added: “It’s one of those with Tyler. He can run, he’s good enough with the ball and he wants to get better.

“It was the same when we took Curtis Tilt to Blackpool (from Wrexham). We said he’d need a bedding-in period but he made his debut at Bradford and did ever so well.

“He’s not looked back and 12 months later, he was allegedly worth figures of anything from £600,000 to £1 million.

“It’s all right saying we’ll take our time but if Tyler comes in and he’s flying in the pre-season games, he could find himself starting.

“You get a lot of satisfaction from helping a young player like that develop.

“I’ve got to get the balance right with the squad this season in terms of numbers in the right positions and making sure we’ve got the blend of youth and experience.

“Obviously, we need energy in the legs as well as one or two with the know-how.”