City's preparations for the forthcoming 2012/2013 season have been dealt a big blow with the news that Ricky Ravenhill is set to miss the next three months with a knee injury.
After being forced off early during City's recent friendly at Guiseley AFC on Wednesday, a scan on Ravenhill's problem confirmed the Bantams' initial fears that the midfielder has indeed suffered medial ligament damage.
Ravenhill is now likely to be missing from action for Phil Parkinson's men until around the start of November.
"Ricky looks like he'll be out for around three months. As we thought initially on the night (at Guiseley AFC), it's damage to his medial ligament," confirmed Parkinson.
"It's a strange one because he's not in a great deal of pain but there's some looseness in the (knee) joint which the specialist is worried about.
"He's now going to have to go in a protective knee brace for around four weeks initially to help the healing process.
"It's something we just have to take on the chin and move on from. It's a blow for him and it's a big blow for us because Ricky is a key player.
"He's a key character around the dressing room and there's no doubt that we'll miss him but unfortunately we have to move on and get used to being without him for the next few months.
"You try to get through pre-season without picking up injuries but, like us, other teams have picked up problems injuries along the way in recent weeks."