BRADFORD (Park Avenue) waved goodbye to long-serving manager Mark Bower and his assistant Danny Boshell on Monday.

But the former has thrown his backing behind the club, as they attempt to avoid a second successive relegation.

A two-part T&A interview with the former Bantams defender will be released next week, but on his new Twitter account, the 43-year-old has released a statement of his own.

In it, he talks about his time at the club, but also goes out of his way to praise director of football Martin Knight and owner Gareth Roberts, both of whom have come in for criticism over the years for a perceived lack of support for the first-team squad.

Bower wrote: "We (Bower and Boshell) have thoroughly enjoyed working with Martin, who has been straight and honest with us from day one.

"Thanks too to all the directors, volunteers and sponsors, who have stuck with us through thick and thin.

"I'm not sure if people realise how tough this job was, especially after raising expectations during our first spell (where Avenue reached the National League North play-offs twice).

"Gareth continues to plough huge sums of money into the club to keep it afloat, so I hope fans can come together and focus their energy on supporting a fresh start on the pitch rather than aiming criticism in his direction."