JAMIE Proctor is desperate to see his luck in front of goal change for the better against his old club Bradford City.

Thwarted by two world class save from Walsall’s Neil Etheridge and also the woodwork in a 1-0 defeat at the weekend, the Wanderers striker reckons he is due an upturn in fortune.

Ex-Bantams hit-man Proctor scored in the League Cup at Blackpool but has yet to hit the target in League One since swapping Valley Parade for the Macron in the summer.

The 24-year-old helped Bradford into the play-offs last season, scoring six goals in his five months with the Yorkshire club. And he would be happy to open his Bolton account on Saturday – as Phil Parkinson manages against his old club for the first time.

“I’d like to think my luck can change a bit,” he told The Bolton News. “I’ve had a couple of good chances in the last couple of games and the keepers are making some great saves at the moment.

“I’ve been there before, though. You have to keep putting yourself in there, keep hitting the target and one will come sooner rather than later.”

Proctor followed Phil Parkinson across the Pennines from Bradford in the summer and appreciates the extra spice that has been added to this weekend’s clash.

Parkinson took the Bantams from League Two obscurity to promotion via the play-offs, a League Cup final in 2013 and a near miss on promotion to the Championship last term.

His five years at Valley Parade ended this summer, however, when he stepped into the vacant role at Wanderers.

“I was only there (at Bradford) a relatively short time but I know the history of what he did, it’s very hard to miss,” said Proctor.

“I’m hoping he gets a great reception from their fans because he did a massive amount for that club, in league position and cup runs as well.

“He brought a lot of success. But knowing him he’ll keep calm and be professional about it, only looking to win three points.”

Proctor is unconcerned about the reception he will get from a large Bradford travelling support but feels any negativity towards Parkinson and his staff can be interpreted as a back-handed compliment.

“I think you’ve always got the odd few fans who won’t see the big picture and just see in the short term that he has left the club,” he said. “Ultimately it’s a compliment if they boo him because it shows they were disappointed to see him go.

“I think if they didn’t care about him or have any feelings for him they’d laugh it off themselves.

“It’s the same for me – I think I did well in my short time there but I’ve coped with that sort of thing in the past and I’m sure the manager has as well.”

Proctor does not think the furore surrounding Saturday’s game will affect the players in the build-up as they try and bounce back from a first defeat of the season.

“We need a big performance but, for me, it doesn’t make a difference who we are playing. The gaffer and his staff will prepare as they always do.

“We won’t treat the game any differently but I can completely understand why the fans and people outside the club will see this as a special game, because it is. It’ll be close to a sell-out crowd, two teams right up there in the league and it would be wrong if it wasn’t built-up.

“In terms of preparation it won’t change what we do, though.”