JAMIE Walker will be hoping for a level playing field if he gets the chance against Gillingham.

The Scot is pushing for his first start since the opening day of the season after two bench appearances.

Walker has clocked up just over an hour of action following his recovery from the knee injury that kept him out for almost four months.

But, on both occasions, his arrival as a sub at Salford in the Papa Johns Trophy and then Leyton Orient were both chasing lost causes.

City were a goal down to the Ammies and then two adrift to League Two’s leaders last week when Walker was summoned - with Mark Hughes admitting that it was a particularly tough gig for the attacker to make an impact in east London.

“It’s always tough coming on when the team are behind, especially more so when you’re coming back from injury and not 100 per cent sharp,” said Walker.

“But that was the situation we found ourselves in. I tried to do my best to get the team going and get something but it was game over when they got the third goal.

“It’s how the game panned out. I’ll take more minutes on the pitch and hopefully in the coming weeks I can really get back to full fitness and good form.”

The current Arctic blast could pose the biggest threat to Walker’s ambitions at the Priestfield Stadium on Sunday. While it’s been snowing back home in Scotland, the forecast looks equally harsh for the south-east.

Walker added: “It is what it is, nobody can help what the weather is going to be like. As a team, we’re trying to get a win after losing three games on the bounce.

“It will be disappointing if it gets called off but we’ll see what happens.

“I’m still trying to get back to full fitness. I’ll go into every training session thinking that I’m going to play at the weekend.

“I just want to get back out on the pitch, whether that’s coming off the bench or starting. I just want to get minutes in and help the team.”

The Bantams have lost only four of the 16 games Walker has started since Derek Adams brought him down from Hearts 11 months ago. The last time he went the distance in a City defeat was at Bristol Rovers at the beginning of April.

The Gillingham fixture kicks off a run up to the end of the year which sees them face three of the current bottom five.

Walker is eyeing a healthy return from that but insists they will head for Kent with the right attitude.

“We’re not going there feeling complacent,” he said. “You’ve seen it many times before when teams haven’t scored in six games and are near the bottom of the table.

“We’ll prepare as normal and hopefully get the three points.

“We’re coming into a busy period and we’ll need to pick up a fair few points if we want to stay near the top of the table. It’s a big time and hopefully I’m fully fit for that.

“The Christmas and January period is always massive for every promotion-chasing team. We’ve got good fixtures, ones we will be confident of winning, and hopefully we can do that.

“Whether it’s coming off the bench or starting games, I just want to play as many minutes I can now to help.

“I’ve had a couple of weeks of full training now and I’m itching to get back part of it.

“I want to be starting games in the next few weeks. I certainly feel ready if I’m chosen by the gaffer.

“I wouldn’t say I’m at peak fitness and sharpness yet but that just comes with playing matches and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to do that.”