MATTY Palmer reckons City should be making more net gains in their promotion push.

The midfielder, who has just returned to the team from injury, feels it is time to up their game in the scoring stakes.

The Bantams are joint eighth-top scorers in League Two but only Forest Green have got fewer goals among the play-off pack.

Palmer made his first appearance in nearly three months when he came off the bench at Leyton Orient.

Now he is looking to play his part in helping City to start putting a marker down in front of goal.

Palmer said: “Saturday clearly wasn’t one of our better games. We didn’t create the chances we wanted to and maybe we were a bit fortunate to get a point.

“But I’m sure we’ve got more than one gear to go through and hopefully we can score more goals.

“From my point of view, you want to be playing in games when you are winning 3-0 or 4-0. You prefer that to 1-0s every game.

“It’s still three points but you want to be playing attractive football and creating chances. We’ve definitely got it in us and just need to produce it.”

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Palmer admitted it took him time to adjust to the extra physicality of League Two when he first arrived on his season-long loan from Rotherham.

He was just beginning to hit form in tandem with Callum Cooke in City's midfield when he injured his knee against Scunthorpe.

Palmer added: “We started to develop a good partnership. There was a three or four-game spell when we probably dominated games at a team that we hadn’t done before.

“Having played higher up for the last two or three seasons, it maybe takes you a period to get used to it.

“It’s a lot quicker in terms of players are straight in your face rather than giving you a bit of time which you get in the higher leagues.

“But I thought the last few games when I was playing, the team and I were starting to move the ball around nicely.

“I was just starting to get to a level I wanted to before the injury. Now my aim is to get back to that, play every game from now to the end of the season and help the team be successful.

“It’s felt like a long time out. Any footballer will tell you they don’t like watching when they are injured.”

Salford’s visit to Valley Parade on Saturday kicks off the busy Christmas period for City, who play three of their four holiday games at home.

It will be the first time the teams have met and Palmer expects the opposition to raise their game.

“That’s probably the same with every team that comes to us. It’s normal now.

“We’ve got to use that as a confidence boost that teams are doing that because Bradford are a big club. Use that as a positive and work it to our advantage.

“We’re doing well at home, we need to keep that up and hopefully win some games more than what we’ve been doing.”