Dolan became manager of Bradford City in January 1987, after the sacking of Trevor Cherry. His first game was as caretaker when City won a 5–1 against Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup. He was given the job full-time 11 days later and for the rest of the season he successfully steered the club away from a relegation battle, finishing 10th in the 1986–87 season in the Division Two. In his first full season, the club finished fourth, narrowly missing out on promotion to the top flight for the first time in 66 years.
