Football’s gain is cricket’s loss with Tom Adeyemi.

City’s on-loan midfielder comes with a good reputation at Norwich, who see him as a rising talent, but he was also an equally dab hand with the bat in his younger days.

The 18-year-old played cricket for his region and was tipped to progress in the game until his growing football commitments took hold.

Adeyemi said: “I used to play quite a bit and represented Norfolk county. I was more of a batsman, although I did do a little bit of bowling.

“But as I got older, football became more demanding. I wasn’t able to play cricket in the summer because I had to have more of a rest.

“I know people like Ian Botham were able to play both sports but those days are gone. Now I don’t really play cricket at all because football has taken over my life.”

City finish their southern tour at Blue Square South outfit Chelmsford City this afternoon. Adeyemi believes the benefits of the four-game spell away will be felt at the start of the season.

“For a new player like me, it’s a good chance to get to know the rest of the squad, learn how they play and how I’ll fit in,” he said.

“It can disrupt things if you’re bringing in players too close to the first game of the season. It’s better to have the group in working together and playing games.”

Peter Taylor reckons City fans will enjoy watching Adeyemi’s athletic performances when the serious action begins in a fortnight.

Adeyemi said: “I like to get box to box and my main strengths lie in linking up with the front players. Hopefully I can do that and add some goals to my game this year.

“But Bradford do have a lot of good midfielders and I’m going to have to fight for my place.”

Tommy Doherty and Michael Flynn are expected to rejoin the rest in training next week after being left behind to recover from slight injuries.