One of the requirements for being a good Bradford City player is having a strong attitude.
The main reason the Bantams gave Joe Wright a ticket back to Yorkshire earlier in the offseason was because of his strong and determined centre-back abilities.
City’s choice to acquire the former Doncaster Rovers defender, who began his career at Huddersfield Town, is further supported by the fact that he is obviously a good person.
Wright, who was born in Monk Fryston, had several ups and downs during his football career and at Rovers.
Wright went to South Yorkshire in the summer of 2016 following some difficulties at Huddersfield, particularly after suffering a catastrophic injury early in his career that left him out for 16 months.
The tough Yorkshireman made an impression during his five years at Rovers until suffering a permanent injury to his knee and ankle on the final day of the 2020–21 season.
He would eventually revive his career in Scotland and join Kilmarnock after being sidelined for the upcoming season.
Wright worked with motivational speaker Terry Gormley while he was at Rovers. Gormley also helped Doncaster icon James Coppinger through his own struggles early on in his career.
Both had a lasting influence on him, promoting the values of maintaining an optimistic outlook and finding strength amid hardship.
“It (psychology) probably pays a lot bigger part than most people outside of football perceive to be honest,” Wright, now 30, told The Yorkshire Post.
“As has occurred to many athletes over the years, having all the skill in the world may be wasted if your head is not in the proper place or if you are not working hard enough.
“Over the past ten to fifteen years, it has accelerated significantly.
“I was really lucky to have Copps because, simply by being around him on a daily basis, he had a significant influence on both my career and perhaps my thought process.
“I talked to Terry when I was younger as well, and I simply tried to continue using same strategies, tactics, and values.
“I got a lot of messages saying, ‘I’m so sorry this happened to you,’ when I suffered a serious injury (at Rovers).”
Copps, however, was the one who called me and told me, “You just need to get on with it.” He was attempting to find the bright side.
“Although that was somewhat odd to hear at the time, I think it actually helped me get over that injury.
“He is a great guy to be around and has a pretty large perspective. He is an excellent dude.
Wright undoubtedly gained a lot from his transfer north of the border to Kilmarnock, an SPL team, as well.
His stay in Scotland was fruitful. During his three seasons at Rugby Park, he made 112 appearances, and in 2024–25, he was awarded Killie’s player of the season during his final season in Ayrshire.
Wright shared his thoughts on the SPL, saying: “I had a great time. The English leagues are well-represented.
“There is essentially a range of skill levels across the 12 clubs in that league. You play “big” clubs like Aberdeen, Hearts, and Hibs after Celtic and Rangers.
Young players should absolutely go up there and experience those huge games because it’s a pretty fantastic league.
“We managed to get a European place and had that experience as well last season which was something which was really enjoyable.”
He will always cherish and undoubtedly never forget his personal experience travelling around Europe in 24–25.
Killie lost to Tromso of Norway in the third qualifying round of the Conference League after being eliminated from the Europa League.
The squad defeated the world’s northernmost professional football team 1-0 in Tromso after a 2-2 draw in Scotland.
At the Romssa Arena, 350 km north of the Arctic Circle, Wright scored the game-winning goal as Killie advanced to the Europa Conference League play-offs by winning their first European match in 23 years.
Wright will always cherish his brief European adventure, even if Killie lost to Nordic opponents in the play-offs in Copenhagen.
At a preseason training camp in Austria, the defender, who is presently on the continent with his Bantams teammates, recalled: “It (Tromso) was a tough place to get to and strange to be all the way up there.”
“As well as in Copenhagen, up in the Arctic Circle…
“With the away leg, we were unlucky to get them in the draw, but the experience was still really good and we gave them two good games and could have nicked it really.”
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