Bradford City keeper not fazed by having new-look defence

That cohesion among the defensive unit is vital, but rather than worry about such a big adjustment, Walker cannot wait to learn all about how the new men operate when the Bantams return to pre-season training later this month.

He told the T&A: “That will start from day one, building those relationships and that trust throughout our pre-season games, with the way the manager wants us to work as a team and a defensive unit.

“It was a part of our game last season that was fairly strong, but there’s certainly room for improvement.

“As a unit, we’ll be looking to be the team that keeps the most clean sheets and one that doesn’t concede many goals.

“That all starts in day one of pre-season and I’m certainly pleased to see the kind of experience that the guys who we’ve signed have got.

“They look like good pros, who’ve had good careers and won promotions, which will be really important for us as a group.

“I’m looking forward to meeting all of them and working with them.”

Aden Baldwin (left) in action against Neill Byrne's Stockport last December, with the Hatters winning this game 2-1 on their way to the title. (Image: PA.)

Walker is a relatively new signing himself, only joining the Bantams in January, yet he had no time to settle, immediately coming in as No.1 to replace the departing Harry Lewis.

Yet the transition was seamless, as Walker conceded just 24 times in 20 games, more than half of those coming in that horror March spell of four successive defeats which essentially cost City the play-offs.

The 32-year-old kept seven clean sheets, looking right at home between the sticks for the Bantams.

Reflecting on his first half-season at Valley Parade, Walker said: “It certainly helped with the experience I’ve had across the game, because I’m at a stage in my career where I feel very comfortable with my game and what I need to do to get my performance levels right.

“Another factor that helped was my pre-existing relationship with Doyler (Colin Doyle) after our time together at Kilmarnock.

“Number ones always work very closely with the goalkeeping coach, so to have Doyler there straight away, with him knowing how I work and vice versa, that made it very easy for me to come in and get settled straight off the bat.

“I found it relatively seamless to come straight back to being a number one, but the biggest factor I was conscious of was the fact I hadn’t played a huge amount in the first half of the season.

“But again I go back to the experience I have, and once I’d got the first two or three games out of the way, I was into a good rhythm.

“That meant I was able to start putting the kind of performances in that would help the team win.”

Other than prolific striker Andy Cook, Lewis had often been seen as City’s main match-winner over the previous 18 months, and he was a popular figure among both his Bantams team-mates and the supporters.

Harry Lewis keeping a clean sheet for City at AFC Wimbledon last October. (Image: PA.)

Asked if he felt the pressure of replacing the Carlisle-bound stopper, Walker said: “It was certainly something I was conscious of.

“There was a huge amount of positive feeling towards Harry and rightly so for the work he’d done as the number one here.

“But I go back to the fact I’m in that later stage in my career where I’m comfortable and confident in what I am and who I am as a goalkeeper.

“I wanted to put my own stamp on the position here and go about things my way.

“Doing that, you hope the performances follow and therefore the good feeling from the fans follows that.

“We’ve got a fantastic fanbase and it’s important for all of us, as the first team, that we’re connected as one with them.

“I was really pleased that the fans quickly saw what I was about as a player and a person, and the relationship has blossomed from there.”