City Secure Centre-Back Jack Shepherd On Loan

Bradford City have announced the loan signing of defender Jack Shepherd from Barnsley.

At 6ft 2ins, the 23-year-old centre-back will don the No.24 jersey as he joins the Bantams on loan for the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign.

Shepherd began his football career with non-league Penistone Church, before moving on to Athersley Recreation and Pontefract Collieries. He signed with Barnsley last summer and made 24 appearances for the Tykes. Additionally, he spent part of the 2023/24 season on loan at Cheltenham Town, where he made 14 appearances in the Sky Bet League One.

Speaking to the Bantams media team, Shepherd expressed his excitement and eagerness to begin his journey with Bradford City:

“I am excited to be here and cannot wait to get started. This is a big move for me and I am looking forward to getting some games in. I was at the Sunderland game and was really impressed by the ground. The result was a good one in the end, and we played some really good football. I played here last season and it is an intimidating place to visit. We have to use that to our advantage to spur us on, and get the fans behind us.”

Shepherd arrives at the University of Bradford Stadium keen to leverage his height and aggressive playing style to bolster City’s defence, saying:

“I would like to say I am good in the air, with my height, and aggressive thanks to my non-league background. The main aim is to keep the ball out of the back of the net, and my job is done. This is a big club with aspirations of getting promoted this season, so hopefully we can have a successful one. It was an easy decision when it came around. The lads and the staff have all been very welcoming and I have had a great first session. We are all ready to go.”

City manager Graham Alexander expressed his satisfaction with securing Shepherd’s loan deal:

 “We have been waiting to get this deal done for a few weeks, now. Jack has all the attributes we like in our defenders, and he is hungry for the challenge ahead. He will bring strong competition for our backline, and I am very happy to get him here before the season kicks off.”

Shepherd’s addition is expected to strengthen Bradford City’s defensive options as they aim for a successful campaign. A full transcript of the interview is available on the Bradford City Website.