Bradford City narrowly missed out on reaching the Championship last season, suffering a 1-0 defeat at Wembley in the play-off final. The Bantams were superb throughout the season under the stewardship of club hero Stuart McCall but a number of departures have seen murmurs of discontent in some quarters. The squad is still packed with quality and with McCall remaining in charge next season, there is plenty of reason for optimism ahead of the new campaign.

It was a good time to be Bradford City fan last season with the side providing plenty of joy to home supporters at Valley Parade. The Bantams were only defeated seven times all season, with only League One champions Sheffield United losing fewer games across the entire Football League. They also clocked up an impressive 11 home clean sheets during the course of the campaign, with Stuart McCall's side remaining impressively resolute during their march to the play-offs.

Rory McArdle, who netted the winner in the first leg against Fleetwood and helped the Bantams book their place at Wembley, departed the club this summer, upsetting many Bradford fans in the process. He was a mainstay of the team and the side's longest serving player prior to sealing his summer transfer to League One rivals Scunthorpe. In his five years at the club, he clocked up 231 appearances and many supporters see his departure as a big blow.

Other players to leave West Yorkshire this summer include Stephen Darby, who joins Bolton Wanderers, Billy Clarke, to Charlton, and James Meredith, who leaves for play-off conquerors Millwall. The Australian spent five years with the Bantams and was part of the impenetrable defensive unit that impressed last season. Despite recruiting the left-back this summer, the Lions have been priced up as third-favourites for relegation in the Championship betting markets at 9/4, whilst Bradford are fifth-favourite for promotion from League One at 4/1.

Bradford fans shouldn't be too worried by these exits, as a number of replacements have been targeted and the club have already added a number of quality players to their ranks. Adam Chicksen joins from Charlton to fill the vacant left-back spot whilst Jake Reeves and the return of Alex Gilliead bolster the midfield. Some exciting additions up front should have fans on their feet during this forthcoming season with the impressive Shay McCartan joining from Accrington, and the experienced Paul Taylor adding some unpredictability to the forward line alongside the energetic Dominic Poleon.

McCall's men only netted three goals or more on five different occasions last season and he appears to have addressed that issue this summer. Charlie Wyke has impressed since arriving from Carlisle and Alex Jones has a knack of finding the net at this level, further adding to the Bantams' deadly collection of strikers. The club's incoming transfers are far from finished, with McCall expressing his desire to add a right-footed centre-back to his squad before their opening fixture against Blackpool on August 5th.

Some Bantams fans may have bemoaned the loss of McArdle, Darby and Meredith this summer but the squad still appears to be in an extremely healthy state and a few more additions will surely see Bradford challenging for League One promotion once again in May.