Bradford City's ex-Harrogate Town midfielder Levi Sutton unsurprised by Sulphurites' progress

The Bradford City midfielder signed for the Sulphurites on a one-month loan deal from previous club Scunthorpe United at the start of 2018/19 – the North Yorkshire outfit’s first-ever in the National League.

His game-time was limited to three short substitute appearances totalling just 13 minutes, however he quickly realised that he had been parachuted into a group of players destined for better things.

The season after Sutton’s fleeting spell with Harrogate, they secured a second promotion in the space of 27 months, sealing their place in League Two for 2020/21.

“It was definitely brief, but to be fair, I enjoyed my time there,” he recalls.

“There were some good lads there and a lot of them are still there from when I went on loan.Jack Muldoon is a Scunthorpe lad as well, he lives in the next village to my mum.

“They’ve got a lot of good characters there, a lot of lads who have been together a long time, some good players who have come through the leagues together, so I could see the potential when I was there.

“I knew then that they could play at a higher level. They’ve got that bond, that team spirit as well and that nack of winning games, so it doesn’t surprise me.”

Saturday will see Sutton and his current team-mates go head-to-head with his old colleagues for the second time this season, the Bantams looking to avenge a 1-0 loss at Valley Parade back in October.

Harrogate were better than City in most departments that night, though it was the desire and intensity in their play that really stood-out in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

The way that the visitors performed came as absolutely no surprise to Sutton, who says he knows what Town are all about, and that Bradford cannot afford to be outworked and out-fought by their opponents this time around.

He added: “I know exactly what their game is going to be. They’re a hard-working side. That’s what they’re good at. That is what got them promoted and brought them success, so I know it is going to be a tough game.

“The first game we played against them, I felt like they took it more personally than us and then probably got the upper hand.

“I knew what the game was going to be like and I spoke to [manager] Stuart McCall. I knew a few of the lads and I knew it was going to be a game like that, I knew they would work their socks off and it was exactly that.

“It’s alright Harrogate being up for it, we need to be up for it as well.”

Kick-off at the EnviroVent Stadium on Saturday is at 12.30pm.