Bantams boss Phil Parkinson expects Andrew Davies to be free to play again when City travel to Gillingham on November 26.

Davies is banned for the next four games – but would have missed two of those anyway as a quirk of his loan from Stoke.

The centre half’s deal to stay at Valley Parade was effectively split into two halves to take it through to the new year. It was planned that he would return to the Premier League club for the week of the FA Cup first round, which also ruled him out of next Tuesday’s JPT clash with Sheffield United.

Parkinson said: “There’s a vagary in Andrew’s loan agreement because he couldn’t play (for City) in the FA Cup.

“We wanted to take him the maximum 92 days into January so it meant him going back for a bit in the middle.

“He’s going back this Saturday and the loan doesn’t kick-start before the Friday of the Rotherham game on November 19.

“So in theory he only misses two games for us and then he’ll be available against Gillingham.”

Parkinson is looking at the loan market again after Adam Reed went back to Sunderland.

Whether he considers bringing in back-up at centre half will depend on the form of Steve Williams, who also got another run-out in the Tranmere friendly.