City secured their second signing of the summer on Monday, welcoming experienced, title-winning centre-back Neill Byrne to the University of Bradford Stadium.
We caught up with the Irishman shortly after he put pen to paper to find out what it was that brought him to the club...
Q: Neill, welcome to Bradford City. How does it feel to be here first and foremost, for the next two years?
N: Yeah, I am delighted to be here. When I heard about the interest from Bradford and the gaffer, it was a move I really wanted to happen. I have played here a couple of times throughout my career and it is a massive stadium with an unbelievable fanbase, so once I heard about the interest it was something I really wanted to get over the line.
Q: This has been building up for the past few weeks now, you have just won promotion with Stockport, so now what does it feel like to come and play for this club?
N: It has been going on for a little bit now, and I have had confirmation now over the last few days that it was really going ahead, so I have been really looking forward to it. I have just spoken with the gaffer and we both have the same ambitions to try and achieve what we did last year at Stockport and bring this massive football club back up to League One.
Q: What have those early conversations been like with the manager? Does it fill you with encouragement - in that you know what it takes to get out of this division? Having very recent experience, can you draw similarities?
N: 100%. The conversations I have had with the gaffer this morning were similar to the ones I had at Stockport. Both clubs have the same ambitions of getting promoted. You can see from the playing style and the finish Bradford had towards the end of the season that it is key to maintain that momentum going into next season and just kicking on with good standards. We need to try to get the fanbase behind us from the start while keeping them entertained and push for promotion.
Q: How important is that, from an experience perspective? You mentioned the end of the season we had and the spells of form we had throughout the season, when we had Stockport here at home we were on a good run and it had that big game feel towards it. Having that behind you should give you more confidence going into next season, shouldn't it?
N: Yeah, you can see from the group that has stayed on, they will be confident from the finish they had. You can see the fans from tickets sales that they are right behind the team, and momentum is massive in football. We all know that once you get on a winning streak, you cannot see yourself losing, so we are hoping to keep those performance standards from last season and start the season like that.
Q: You come here with plenty of experience from up and down the football pyramid. Having that experience of success recently must really help a team like us that wants to be in that position and achieve success, as you have got that knowledge already?
N: Yeah, that is one of the things the manager mentioned in terms of the fanbase. People come here and get really behind the players and hopefully I can bring my experiences from the year before at Wembley and the build-up towards that, and last season with the sell-outs at Stockport and the experience of playing in high-pressure games. I am sure every game here will be high pressured with the fanbase, so we want to be able to have that behind us and have the fans backing us using that a real plus to keep us going, as winning games of football is all that matters.
Q: We know you are a defender. For those that have not seen too much of you before, how would you describe yourself as a footballer?
N: First and foremost, I am a defender. I want to keep clean sheets, and with the strike force we have here, I know the players will score goals. I also like to play out from the back and try and add some technical ability as well, but first and foremost, it is about keeping clean sheets.
Q: How much are you looking forward to being in here on the other side of the fence now that you have mentioned you have played here a couple of times before and know what it is like as an opponent? Now, having this stadium and this fanbase behind you must be an exciting proposition?
N: Yeah, 100%. I have played here a few times and the fanbase is massive. I remember playing here the first time with Hartlepool and in the warm-ups it was already rocking. To have those fans behind us can only give us that extra 10% we need. It really gets you going. To have those fans from the start of the season will be brilliant, so I am really looking forward to putting the shirt on.
Q: You know Antoni Sarcevic who has signed as well. Have you had conversations, with both of you being part of a successful season together last season, and coming here and being part of that here again hopefully?
N: Yeah, I have played with him at Stockport and we called him the ‘promotion king’. It is seven now I think he has got, and he is someone who drives standards every day in training. He gets everyone around him going and keeps everyone’s standards up. We have had conversations about trying to replicate last season, and replicating those feelings and celebrations as it is something you always want to have, and you will always remember them, so to come to Bradford and do that in front of a massive crowd is something we both really want to achieve.
Q: You must be looking forward to being in the dressing room with him again, and meeting everyone else here ready for pre-season?
N: It is nice to have Antoni here - a familiar face and someone I was with last year - and it will be nice to get to know everyone else here as well. It will be good to integrate into the team, with lots of the lads staying on from last season.
To watch Neill Byrne's first interview as a Bantam now, head over to our official iFollow channel by CLICKING HERE.
