Ashley Ward won't let his Bradford City goal famine get him down.

The Bantams striker is still to get off the mark following his £1.5 million arrival from Blackburn on the eve of the season.

It is the first time in his career Ward has reached October without a goal to his name. But as he warms up for Saturday's clash with Manchester City, the club where he turned professional, Ward isn't panicking.

He said: "Obviously it would be nice to have scored, any striker feels the same. I've started four league games now and I want to get going.

"It's good for your confidence when you are scoring. You're a better player because you've got the goals under your belt to lift your performance.

"But I'm enjoying my time at the club and I feel I'm contributing to the team. My team-mates realise the situation and they've been first class with me.

"I don't feel I've done too much wrong and with a little rub of the green I could have had four or five by now without doing much different.

"There's only one chance so far when I felt I should have done better. That was in the second half at Aston Villa when I didn't hit the target.

"But of the others, like during the Darlington game and the keeper's save for Southampton, there's not a lot else I could have done.

"It's strange because when I went to Norwich I got two on my debut whereas at other places it can take time.

"If I keep doing the right things it will happen.

"If I had missed a hatful of chances and kept missing the target I'd be thinking I'd blown it. But the only thing I'm lacking is a bit of luck."

Ward, who signed for City the day before the Premiership curtain-raiser at Liverpool, had to wait another three weeks before making his first start against Arsenal.

He said: "Maybe it didn't help not starting the first few games. When I came in the lads had been going for a while with the Intertoto Cup and I had to bide my time because we got a couple of great results to start the season.

"But all I can do is work hard when I go out there and contribute even if the goals aren't coming. It's important that strikers do their bit for the team performance.

Chairman Geoffrey Richmond said: "Any striker that doesn't score goals isn't happy. I saw Arsenal's Arsene Wenger on TV saying that Thierry Henry went six games without scoring and was becoming obsessive about it.

"When Lee Mills came here, a lot of supporters were saying what a waste of money because he made a slow start. But once he got off the mark he was scoring regularly.

"Ashley has got a pedigree. He has scored goals at this level for Derby and Barnsley and he is going to do well here."

"I know the first goal will come. Let's hope it's against Manchester City."