Exclusive: Burnley FC player to join Bradford City | OneFootball

Bradford City have won the race to sign Burnley forward Michael Mellon

Bradford City have won the race to sign Burnley striker Michael Mellon on loan, Football League World can exclusively reveal.

The 21-year-old joined Stockport County on loan for the duration of the season last summer, but has struggled to nail down a first-team spot at Edgeley Park, and has failed to make a single League One start for the Greater Manchester outfit, prompting Burnley's decision to deploy their youngster elsewhere for the remainder of the campaign.

The Clarets forward notched three goals and two assists in 14 outings during a loan spell with Dundee FC in the Scottish Premiership last term, while the Bantams have beaten off competition from fellow League Two outfits Chesterfield and Walsall, who were also keen on landing his services, according to Alan Nixon.

Bradford sign Burnley's Mellon

The Bantams will be delighted that they are set to acquire the services of Mellon and have secured his signature ahead of runaway the fourth-tier leaders and a play-off rival.

Following Saturday afternoon's victory over Grimsby Town, Graham Alexander's men have now won three of their last four league games, including triumphs over automatic promotion hopefuls Port Vale, and the aforementioned Spireites.

The congested nature of the League Two table means that, despite their current eighth spot, the Bantams are still only four points shy of third-place Salford City, and may fancy their own chances of landing automatic promotion come the end of the campaign.

Mellon's services will undoubtedly bolster the West Yorkshire side's top-three chances, as he has previously proven himself at fourth tier level.

In fact, the young Clarets forward spent the first half of last season on loan with Morecambe, and produced a particularly impressive return of 13 goals and one assist in 22 League Two appearances, prior to his previously mentioned spell north of the border with Dundee.

Bradford may need Mellon to replace Andy Cook

The Bantams boast the prolific Andy Cook among their ranks, who has scored 12 fourth-tier goals this season, just two fewer than the division's top scorer, Nathan Lowe.

But the 34-year-old lasted just six minutes during his side's New Year's Day clash with Barrow, before being withdrawn through injury.

The goalscoring veteran consequently missed the Bantams' win over Grimsby on Saturday, with wing-back Lewis Richards, and midfield duo Richard Smallwood and Alex Pattison stepping up to the scoresheet in his absence.

As reported by the Telegraph & Argus on Monday, the length of the talisman's injury lay-off is still yet to be confirmed.

The joint-second top scorers for Alexander's men this term are Pattison and Bobby Pointon, with just three goals each, epitomising Cook's importance.

However, any nerves among the Bantams faithful should be eased by Mellon's likely imminent arrival, as the Clarets man produced the goods in League Two just last season.