Luke Dean suffered a suspected broken leg to mar City’s opening friendly last night.

The young midfielder had to be taken to hospital after a heavy tackle from Eccleshill’s Mick Baker.

Dean was stretchered off and the immediate diagnosis by club staff was a hairline fracture.

Bantams boss Peter Taylor was not impressed with Baker’s actions.

Taylor had issued a pre-match plea to City’s opponents in the coming friendlies to play in the right spirit and not get carried away. He said: “I thought it was a poor challenge. That’s what happens.

“They (Eccleshill) are saying that the player’s not like that usually but he’s gone out and done it. I thought it was too aggressive and too high.

“For a game like this, it was unnecessary.

“Luke’s got a six-month opportunity here and was going to work extremely hard in pre-season. He’s done brilliant so far and I really feel for him.”

Goals from Gareth Evans and James Hanson clinched City’s 2-0 win in front of a 1,200 crowd. Trialist strikers Matt Tipton and Lee Morris each played a half.

Taylor added: “It was good for our football fitness, there was a big crowd and it was just a shame that the injury had to happen.

“We’ve got a good relationship between the two clubs and Ian Banks was different class. There’s no problem there but we just all feel a little bit for Luke."