JOHNSON’S FIRST WORDS AS BANTAM | News

We spoke to him shortly after he put pen to paper to find out what drew him to the club.

Q: Callum, welcome to Bradford City. How does it feel to be here?

C: I am delighted. It happened quickly. Last week I came and spoke to the manager and I knew straight away that I wanted to sign. It was done early so now I’m ready to go.

Q: How much does this help? It’s the end of May and you’ve got your future set at this early stage of the off-season and you’re getting ready to go knowing where you’re going to be – that must help?

C: Yeah, definitely mentally, just being able to focus now knowing where I’m going to be and getting ready for the pre-season and the season coming up is a nice feeling. I can focus on the schedule I’m in, so it’s a good thing to sort myself out.

Q: You mentioned that you already had a discussion with the manager. How did that go and what attracted you to Bradford City that made you want to come and sign here?

C: The discussion with the manager was very good. I came down last week to speak to the gaffer and David Sharpe, who I know from Mansfield, and the size of the club is what really brought me. I have played for big clubs before and was successful. I have been promoted from League Two twice and aim to add a third now. The manager said everything I wanted to hear and told me how he wanted to play. I know a few guys – I know Brad Halliday well and I know Alex Pattison and a few others and they only say good things.

Q: You mentioned the two promotions you had – one near the start of your career and one in the final season with Mansfield automatically promoted. Having that recent experience and knowing what it takes to get out of this division must be a big benefit for you?

C: Yes, of course. The first was in my first season of football with Accrington Stanley and it was an amazing season that nobody expected and last season was obviously great to get promoted again. You can see similarities with both teams with the mix of experience and youth. I spoke to David Sharpe and Stephen Gent and they understood the same things. It will help you later in the season if you’re up against players with the mindset that you’ve done it before.

Q: Tell us a bit about your career in general – what brought you to this stage?

C: After Accrington I moved to Portsmouth and I loved it there and we were unlucky to lose promotion. I moved to Ross County in the Scottish Premiership which was good but a bit far from home. I ended up moving to Mansfield and really enjoyed my time there. Unfortunately I had one or two injuries, which was unexpected because for the rest of my career I was fine with injuries and played a lot of games. I played my part in the climb last season, but it was not to be. Now I’m here and I can’t wait.

Q: We know you’re a right back and you’ve played in several defensive positions throughout your career. Can you describe what kind of player you are?

C: I have played mainly right back in a back four and in a back three I can play both right central and right back. I had a good chat with the manager about where he sees me and where I’m most comfortable and we have the same ideas about where I play my best football but I’m versatile.

Q: Have you set goals after talking to the manager and knowing more about the role you will play in the team?

C: Yes, keeping clean sheets is the main thing, and I like to get assists and get up the pitch, but of course that depends on where I play. I like to focus on the game as well to make sure we get all three points.

Q: Less than a month until you’re back in pre-season, training and meeting your new teammates. How long are you waiting for this now?

A: Yes, looking forward to it. It’s always exciting – especially at a big club – to start. I’ve heard it’s going to be a good, tough pre-season so I’m looking forward to that.

Q: Final message to the supporters – how do you feel before you go out and play in front of them?

A: They are important to get behind us and hopefully with a good start we can continue. We will strive to achieve our goals.