IT HAS taken 11 years and five different clubs but Tom Elliott is ready to wear a City shirt again.
The lanky frontman’s arrival provides much-needed attacking support for the final 20 games of the season.
And Elliott will need little introduction to the training facilities early in his career after a pre-season at the club.
He was among the trialists Peter Jackson had his eye on in the summer of 2011 after City’s worst league result in 45 years.
Jackson signed forwards Mark Stewart and Ross Hannah but Elliott, who had trained with the squad and played in a friendly at Bradford (Park Avenue), missed out when City opted to sign Nialle Rodney instead.
Rodney only made seven sub-outings before Phil Parkinson fired him six months later. Elliott went to Stockport and on to Cambridge, Wimbledon and Millwall before signing for Salford two years ago.
But Elliott remembers that time at Apperley Bridge well.
“I was here for a few weeks,” he says. “That was the year Nahki Wells signed.
“The pitches are still the same, but the gym and the building have improved a lot.
“I remember Michael Flynn and James Hanson were here and it was a tough pre-season.
“We ran a lot on the 400m track – it was one of the toughest I remember!
“I had just left Leeds at the time and had a little confidence when I wasn’t signed by Bradford. I went to Stockport and that kickstarted my career.
“But it’s nice to be back and to get the chance to play for Bradford now in front of the fans. Obviously I really wanted to at the time, but I didn’t get that opportunity.
“Now hopefully I can show them what they’ve been missing!”
It may still be the same division, but Elliott’s first impression is that the vibe at the club feels very different than before. The same goes for his attitude as an experienced head, coming up for the last 20 games.
“There’s a lot more momentum, it’s a younger team now with a lot more fight in them.
“I was a little boy then and wasn’t used to the pressure of a promotion hunt and things like that. I just wanted to play soccer.
“Now I’m getting all this side of it, fighting for places and wanting to move up. I’m more attuned to that, so I’m probably better prepared now to be a Bradford player.
Elliott has scored four goals in 20 league games this season – an almost identical ratio to Andy Cook when he was loaned out from Mansfield on the exact same day last year.
The 31-year-old is another with the know-how to win promotion, something he previously did twice with Cambridge and Wimbledon.
That previous experience has taught him to stay calm through the ups and downs that City will face through May.
Elliott added: “When I first got promoted at Cambridge we had a couple of losses in a row and I was worried we weren’t going to make it.
“But I learned that you have to trust the process and the team. Relax and if you stick to the performance level, the results will take care of themselves.
“It’s about staying calm. If you win don’t think you will win the league and if you lose just look to the next game.
“It’s probably better not to look at the table at this point and leave it for a gap. When I was at Wimbledon we split into four games here and there.
“The gaffer has made it clear that he wants a promotion. When I heard Bradford was interested he gave me the blueprint and we had a really good chat.
“Hopefully I can add my experience to the guys and we can go from there.”