Crawley Town defender Jordan Tunnicliffe is back and confident Reds can cause an upset at Bradford City

The defender returned to first team action for the first time since the opening day of the season in the 1-0 defeat to Tranmere Rovers on Saturday.

And although it wasn’t the result he wanted, he was happy to be back and believes the Reds can bounce back this weekend against the Bantams.

The 28-year-old said: “I feel we have got a lot of experienced players to deal with that.

“They have got 14,000 fans at home and need to win. We can go there and cause an upset. We will try our best to get the three points.”

And Tunnicliffe highlighted the Reds’ form on the road.

“I’ve noticed the away form has been good,” he said.

“The first two seasons I’ve been here, the away form wasn’t very good.

“It feels like, this year, we’ve got loads of points away from home. Hopefully we will be able to do that.”

Injuries to Tunnicliffe’s ankle and knee have kept him out for five months and the defender admitted it was tough to be sidelined for so long.

“As a footballer, you want to be out there playing games,” he told the Observer. “Watching from the side, you fully support the lads but you’ve always got that hint of jealousy.

“You want to be back out there.

“With the help of the fitness coach and physios, they give you a programme and fitness work. It’s tough but you always have a goal to aim for.

“Mentally, that’s really good for you. It’s been a long road but one that’s come to an end and I’m happy about that.”

Tranmere took all three points this afternoon after Jay Spearing’s free kick beat Glenn Morris via deflection.

It was harsh on Crawley who defended resolutely throughout, although they were largely toothless going forward. Assessing his own performance, Tunnicliffe said: “I think I done well.

“I didn’t go into today expecting to set the world alight. I’ve been out a long time.

“It’s just disappointing we didn’t win the game. I would rather have played a bit worse but got the three points.”

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