JORDAN Gibson had as many City managers as he made league starts in three years at the club.

Signed by Stuart McCall after impressing as a trialist in the 2017 pre-season, the winger never really made the breakthrough at Valley Parade.

He was named in the starting line-up 11 times – with just five of those in the league.

But in that time, he served under five different bosses – six if you include Greg Abbott’s brief caretaker reign.

There was also a similar stint for Martin Drury but Gibson missed that while on loan at Stevenage.

It was a tumultuous period for the Bantams as they slipped back into the fourth tier and a testing one for a young player trying to make his way in the pro game.

At 23, Gibson believes he has finally got that opportunity of the regular football he has craved.

He has established himself in the team at Carlisle, who he joined at the end of the summer transfer window, and scored his fifth goal of the season on Saturday in a key win at fellow strugglers Stevenage.

But as he prepares to face his old club for the first time this weekend, Gibson credits his frustrating stay at Valley Parade for helping to toughen him up.

He said: “It wasn’t easy but I enjoyed my time there, to be honest, apart from one of the patches that I had.

“It was a difficult situation to be in trying to break into the first team and there was a new manager every three or four months.

“I was frustrated at the time but I learned a lot from the experience.

“I look back now and think I have improved as a player because of that.”

The hardest time was after David Hopkin came in and decided that Gibson was one of several players surplus to requirements – leading to the winger’s temporary move to Stevenage at the start of 2019.

Recalling that period, Gibson said: “I wasn’t even training with the team. There were a few of us that were frozen out.

“It was tough but it taught me not to take anything for granted. I’m enjoying my football more now because of that experience.”

Gibson’s time with City was book-ended by McCall’s second and third managerial spells and he has only positive memories from working with the club legend.

“Obviously the team were doing well at the top of League One when I went in and it’s not that easy to break in to the side when you’re that young. But Stuart was great with me.

“I had to bide my time but he gave me my professional debut and I haven’t got a bad word to say about him.

“Obviously when he came back again, I wasn’t in the team. But he was always good.”

Gibson’s hunger for gametime saw him head for Ireland after being released by City last year. He joined St Patrick’s and then Sligo – and rediscovered his spark.

“It was a challenge but one I wasn’t afraid to take on,” he added. “I went there to get games and show my quality.

“It was like taking a step back to go forward, in a sense, and trying to get myself out there again and to enjoy my football. I definitely matured as a player.

“When I was at Bradford, they scrapped the (under) 23s. So, if you weren’t playing in the first team, you weren’t playing at all.

“I got to grips with playing games and trying to get three points for the team every week. It was a good experience for me.

“I’m at the stage of my career now where I want to take responsibility and become a key player in the team. That’s why I’m trying to do.

“My career stalled at Bradford in terms of trying to get into the team. Now I want to play as many games as possible and try and get goals and assists for the club.”

Chris Beech had been keen on taking Gibson to Carlisle when he left Valley Parade. But the player was wary of stepping into another bit-part role and wanted the guarantee of the regular involvement that the League of Ireland offered.

Beech reignited his interest in the summer and by that point Gibson, who was still under contract until the end of the year, felt ready to come back.

“I could have waited until the January transfer window but I just thought it was best to sign for Carlisle then and get a full season playing League Two.

“Chris Beech was desperate to have me at the club – but he was only there about six weeks and then you’re thinking, ‘here we go again’.”

Beech paid the price for Carlisle's poor start when he was sacked in early October. 

But Gibson has retained his place under replacement Keith Millen and can sense a brighter outlook for the Cumbrians' troubled campaign.

“I get on well with the new gaffer, I’m in the team and have scored a few goals. It’s still early but he’s starting to putting a marker on the team and hopefully performances will continue to improve.

“We’ve been struggling but there are a lot to games to play and I’m sure we’ll pick up. Stevenage was a big win for us because they are down there as well and hopefully we can carry it on now.”

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