Lawn: Parky has galvanised us

Bradford joint chairman Mark Lawn believes Phil Parkinson is cast from the same mould as Aidy Boothroyd and Ian Holloway.

Boothroyd, currently manager at Northampton, steered Watford to a surprise promotion to the Barclays Premier League in 2006 and Holloway achieved similar success at unfancied Blackpool, who he guided to the top flight, also via the play-offs, in 2010. "When Phil arrived at the club his first job was to make sure we stayed in the Football League," Lawn said. "He inherited the worst side I've seen at Valley Parade since I've been going in 1964 and I don't think he got the credit he deserved for keeping us up last season. "Phil and assistant Steve Parkin have built on that. We gave him a good budget with the intention of competing for promotion and certainly with this run in the Capital One Cup the squad has gone beyond expectation. "He's done things the right way. He's got a good backroom staff, not just his number two but all the way down to the lad who does the kit, they are all committed to the cause. "Phil has galvanised them all and has built up a team, on and off the pitch, and that's the most important thing. "Watford did that a few years back with Aidy Boothroyd and Ian Holloway did a similar thing at Blackpool. They don't build stars, they build a team and Phil has that same ability."