Richie Smallwood has admitted he would like to continue his spell with Bradford City following their promotion to League One.
The former Middlesbrough man led The Bantams to their first promotion in 12 years with a third-place finish, narrowly beating Walsall to the final automatic promotion spot with a 96th-minute winner on the final day.
Smallwood Discusses Future
As it stands, Smallwood is out of contract this summer and with the club set to publish their retained list this week, the 34-year-old has said he would like to continue his time in West Yorkshire. Speaking to the Telegraph and Argus, the defensive midfielder said:
“I think it (promotion with Bradford) ranks right up there as my greatest and one I’ve been proud to be a part of.
“That’s what I was looking to do, ideally at the first time of asking. But this club does things the difficult way, it’s the Bradford way, and you learn that once you get here.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but we kept plugging away for three years and got there in the end.
“Hopefully my journey does continue at this football club. I really do love it here.”
Other players that are out of contract include goalkeeper Sam Walker, defenders Paul Huntington and Romoney Crichlow, and Jamie Walker.
Writers’ View
Richie Smallwood has been Bradford City’s Mr. Consistent this season even if there were a few bumps along the road. With a step up in division, many tough decisions have to be made in order to keep this forward momentum going. Despite his reckless sending off against Swindon Town, Smallwood has been a leader on the pitch and pivotal to Bradford’s promotion so him leaving the club would be a surprise. Other players, like Jamie Walker, look set to be on their way out, but for the club captain, it would be a shock to see him also depart. However, being the only out-and-out defensive midfielder will surely see him face competition from a new incoming player next season.
