Gordon Gibb's debut in front of the supporters was in keeping with his leadership so far - low key and thoughtful.

There was none of the tub-thumping of his predecessor at last night's fans' forum. Gibb remained cool and calm as he answered the questions in a matter-of-fact way.

The event, organised by the Bradford City Supporters Trust, was the first time the chairman had faced the public since taking up the reins in August.

Chewing gum throughout, he may not have had the overwhelming stage presence of Geoffrey Richmond but there was no doubting Gibb's sincerity. And the audience seemed to like what they heard.

While admitting he could be seen as aloof, Gibb said he wasn't in the business of dishing out false hope.

"There is definitely no room for complacency," he repeated. "But the patient is definitely off the critical list."

Gibb, flanked by chief executive Julian Rhodes and managing director Shaun Harvey, visibly relaxed as the evening wore on. "That must be our luck," he said after one questioner's kind words were not picked up by the microphone, "we missed the gentleman's compliment and then the mic started working again when he was asking about our debts."

The news on that score was encouraging. Gibb is willing to put in another £500,000 of security to smooth the negotiations with Lombard's over the £6.3m remainder of the stadium mortgage. Buying the club extra time for repayments is the last piece in the financial jigsaw according to the chairman.

Plenty of issues were raised, from Nicky Law's future spending power to the poor standard of catering in the kiosks around the stadium. Danny Cadamarteri, we were told, has been sorted out while JCT 600 are in the process of agreeing to renew their sponsorship deal that runs out after the season.

Eleven players are out of contract in the summer and Lewis Emanuel has a two-year option. David Wetherall and Wayne Jacobs have both been given extended deals as part of the wage deferments.

The home and away kits for the centenary season should be unveiled on the launch day, May 24, when the City promotion team from 1996 play their counterparts from 1999.

New merchandise will be out to mark the celebrations but only on the bottom floor of the Up Front superstore. The empty upper level, where a lot of building work has been going on, could become an entertainment area, according to Harvey. A games arcade perhaps?

An auction and raffle raised more than £1,000 towards the Trust's loan player fund - although the cash being raised by fans could now be channelled in a different direction.

With the injuries in his squad thankfully easing, Nicky Law is under less pressure to borrow from elsewhere. Rhodes instead suggested the money from the fans could go towards securing the likes of Simon Francis or Danny Forrest on a first senior contract - a popular idea on the floor.

Rhodes, though, played down a bold claim that City were in spitting distance of the play-offs. "You must be able to spit a long way," he laughed. But fans left the Sunwin Stand sensing there is genuine optimism seeping back.

As Rhodes put it: "Our ambition is to get back in the Premier League on a wages budget which is less than what we were paying Benito Carbone on his own. That's an ambition which I believe we can fulfil."