STUART McCall hopes Bradford City’s fans will give Phil Parkinson a “respectful reception” at the Macron tomorrow.

Emotions have run high at Valley Parade since Parkinson walked out in the summer to join Wanderers.

But Bradford boss McCall respects the success his opposite number had with the Bantams, taking them from League Two to the fringes of the Championship and to a Wembley League Cup final.

“I can’t influence how supporters are going to behave,” he said. “But I was up in Scotland watching them beat Leeds as a fan, watching the Arsenal game, Villa, going to Wembley when they played against Swansea, seeing them beat Chelsea.

“I would be really surprised and disappointed if he gets anything other than a really good ovation from the City fans.

“It’s not as if he’s a player coming back and he’s going to be touching the ball all the time against us.

“For me it’s a no-brainer, he should be getting a respectful reception for what he did for the club.

“Fans have their own opinions but I totally understand why he wanted to move on.”

McCall was one of the managers who had unsuccessfully tried to reverse Bradford’s slide before Parkinson’s arrival.

But the former Rangers and Everton midfielder is now able to build on the foundations he created over five years in the job, which include the financial backing of new German owners.

“They were in League Two for a long time, I had a little go, Peter Taylor had a go, Jacko (Peter Jackson) had a go and then Phil came along and found the recipe to get them out,” he said.

“They finished seventh and got a way to win. The cup run set them up for Wembley, been there before and had the momentum.

“If you’re a Bradford City supporter over the last 20 years – I never thought Wolves would have been beaten, then you had the day against Liverpool, but if you were at Chelsea that day that will forever live in your memory.

“A lot of that was down to Phil and his staff.”

McCall has bittersweet memories of Bolton. Bradford had secured promotion at Burnden in 1985 just a week before the tragic fire at Valley Parade which claimed the lives of 56 supporters.

“I remember the year of the disaster ’85 and we won the Championship at Bolton, me and big Bobby (Campbell) scored,” he recalled.

“We had unbelievable backing that day of almost 4,000. So there always is that little bit of rivalry with Burnley and Bolton.

“There’s going to be a great atmosphere with us selling out. Bolton fans will get right behind their side.

“But whatever happens won’t affect the outcome of the end of the season.”