JAKE Reeves is flourishing under the weight of expectation facing City this season.

The central midfielder has played every league game so far following his £150,000 summer move from Wimbledon.

Reeves is relishing the extra demands that come from joining a club who have reached the play-offs in successive campaigns.

"It's the best pressure you can possibly ask for in football," he said.

"You're at a club with ambition and wanting to achieve something together. Everyone wants success here – the players, the staff and the fans.

"But that's what you dream of as a player. You don't want to go through a career and look back to see you've never achieved anything.

"You want to go somewhere where you've actually made a difference.

"Everyone wants to get promoted, of course, but it's nice to be at a club where it's a legitimate statement."

City are averaging two points a game after the first ten fixtures, despite suffering their second loss of the season in midweek to Fleetwood.

Reeves has noticed how they are viewed as one of the division's big-hitters – and sees that as another incentive to rise to the challenge.

"Bradford turn up to most grounds and the home side are like 'okay, we've got to put in a real performance today'," he said.

"You walk out on the pitch with your shoulders back and your head held high knowing that the other team have got to work just as hard as they would for anyone at the top.

"It obviously makes our job more difficult but at the same time makes it more satisfying and rewarding when you do get the three points."

Having been an ever-present at Wimbledon last season, Reeves has quickly adapted to the bigger surroundings of Valley Parade and home attendances currently averaging 20,234 – five times what he was used to before.

He said: "It's a massive difference but I've got used to it quite quickly. It only took me the warm-up of the first game to feel like it was my home ground.

"Some players can find it daunting but I prefer it – you want to hear the crowd singing and things like that.

"I've been used to quite compact grounds, so it's a pleasure now to play in front of such a big crowd."

Two defeats in five home games have come as a shock for a team who went unbeaten on their own soil through the entire 2016-17 campaign.

Yet City are still fourth ahead of today's rematch with a Doncaster side who dumped them out of the Carabao Cup at Valley Parade.

Reeves said: "It's nice to be where we are in the league at the minute but we're not getting carried away. There are still things we need to improve on.

"We're doing that every day and have the video analysis for the gaffer to show where we're going wrong and the things that can make our life a little bit easier.

"But hopefully those will iron themselves out as we keep playing games.

"Early on in the season it was about getting results and trying to gel. Now we have that base of how we want to play.

"We've also shown that we can win ugly. The boys at the back have been doing well and everyone's working in the same direction.

"Winning like that gives you a bit of satisfaction – and makes you a lot more tired. But you look round and everyone is playing for each other and running the extra yard for your mate.

"There were probably some question marks at the start of the season over whether we could dig deep. I think we've answered those critics."