Next season will be Nicky Law's biggest in management, City chairman Gordon Gibb insisted today.

With only a week of the current campaign to go, the Bantams are already looking ahead to August.

And Gibb, pictured, believes that 2003-2004 will be the acid test for Law.

Half of the present squad are without a deal in the summer so it is likely to be a much-changed line-up which will kick off next season.

Gibb expects Law, who has one more year of his contract left, to build on the foundations he has laid with the emergence of young talent such as Simon Francis and Danny Forrest.

And the City boss will not be side-tracked by the turmoil that affected the club during administration.

Gibb said: "This is going to be the most important year of Nicky's career. It will be his opportunity to stamp his name all over the squad.

"Nicky will have a full season with no off-the-field financial worries, working within well thought-out financial parameters. It will give him the comfort zone to get on considering football and nothing else.

"He can look at life 100 per cent purely in footballing terms rather than worrying about any other restraints that he has encountered."

Gibb plans to make new offers to out-of-contract players City want to keep by the end of May. That will allow Law the time to rebuild ahead of pre-season.

With Football League chairmen voting to extend the play-offs to include six sides from next year, it could be a realistic target for the Bantams.

While Gibb and Law set about forging next season's squad, there has been no talk about the manager's current position.

Gibb said: "He's got a year left in his contract and has never mentioned he's unhappy with that situation. When he does, then we'll chat about it.

"We've got a great working relationship and he's happy. If there comes a time when it becomes an issue and he feels unsettled, then we will sit down."

Forrest and Francis have both agreed two-year professional contracts and Lewis Emanuel is considering a two-year extension.