DANNY Rowe is tipped to make a big impression for City – but admits the size of Valley Parade has blown him away.
The striker is quickly becoming a cult hero with his new fans after joining from Oldham last week for an undisclosed fee.
He scored his first goal for the club in Tuesday’s 3-1 win at Southend – and also rattled the bar and forced a good save from home keeper Mark Oxley with two trademark long-range efforts.
Rowe will make his first home appearance this afternoon against Barrow, although he has already played there twice for Oldham.
The Latics won both November encounters in the Papa John’s Trophy and FA Cup – with Rowe belting a cracker in the second game.
But he has revealed that his first glimpse of the stadium came as a complete eye-opener.
Rowe said: “I was actually quite shocked when I turned up, to be fair.
“Of course, I have seen games in the past on TV and played there this season but had never previously been.
“I don’t know how to say it, but I did not expect it to be what it was.
“I had seen it on TV and when we (Oldham) turned up to Bradford to play, I knew it was a big club and stuff. But at the time, it was just another game.
“But looking around the stadiums and different things, I was kind of shocked by it all.”
City’s midweek capture of Andy Cook on loan from Mansfield means they now have two of the hottest scoring talents to come from the National League in recent years.
The 2018 Conference campaign – which saw Cook’s Tranmere promoted at Wembley and Rowe and Fylde miss out in the play-offs – saw the Bantams strikers lead the way in the goal charts.
Cook’s tally of 26 that year pipped Rowe by two for the Golden Boot, making up for the previous season when Rowe’s phenomenal 47-goal return in winning promotion from National League North more than doubled that of his new team-mate the next level up.
Cook is excited that they are now joining forces at the same club.
“We’ve crossed paths quite a few times over the years,” he said. “It’s going to be nice to be on the same team as him this time.
“We were up there together (on the goal chart) so it will be good for us both to be scoring for Bradford.”
Cook is not surprised to see Rowe hit the ground running for new bosses Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars.
“I’ve come up against Danny for years and he’s always been like that. If he gets a chance for a shot on goal, he’ll hit it and you know it’s going to be on target.
“He’s got the knack of that in his game and that’s why he scores so many.”
Cook is poised for his first experience of playing in front of an empty Valley Parade as City face Barrow.
He said: “I’ve obviously played at Valley Parade before when there were fans there. You get used to playing in empty stadiums this season but this is a lot bigger ground.
“It’s not the same without fans.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always celebrate when I score goals. But it doesn’t feel right when there’s nobody there.
“I can’t even remember the last time I got some stick and I’m missing it!
“Going away from home and someone’s on your case and has a pop at you, it makes you try even harder.
“You get the glory, you get the stick. That’s part of being a striker.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel