For a manager that an overwhelming majority of City fans never wanted in the first place, Paul Jewell has enjoyed a remarkable season.

The former Bantams striker took charge of the side on a caretaker basis when Chris Kamara was sacked in January last year with everyone - including Jewell - believing a new 'big name' would be installed within days.

At a fans' forum just 24 hours after Kamara's sacking a whole host of names such as Bruce Rioch and Joe Royle were bandied about, while Jewell hardly rated a mention.

Three games later Jewell was handed the role until the end of the season, but as results started to fall away, few in the city expected the situation to continue once the summer got underway.

One of the privileges of covering a club such as City is that you receive a unique insight into how the club is run.

And although results were going against the Bantams, most notably an embarrassing 5-0 hiding at Crewe, it was becoming increasingly clear that Jewell had won the respect of his players.

Several senior members of his squad actually approached me at varying intervals asking if they could do an interview for the Telegraph & Argus urging the board to stick by Jewell.

His man-management and the adult-like manner in which he was treating his players had clearly fostered a strong bond in the dressing room, and the question was whether he would be given the opportunity to bring his own players to the club.

Richmond acted once the season was over and, to the dismay of the City faithful, handed Jewell and his assistant Chris Hutchings two-year contracts.

The City chief received a deluge of letters urging him to change his mind and the club lost around 2,000 season ticket holders before the new campaign kicked off as a result.

Jewell ignored this and proceeded to bring several new faces to the club only for the opening month of the campaign to bring some very disappointing results. City stood just one place off the bottom of the league table.

The 3-0 defeat at Ipswich in early September was undoubtedly the low point of this season because the Bantams were outclassed by a much stronger side.

I vividly remember sitting in the Press box at Portman Road after the game, when one of the London-based journalists came up and said: "I feel sorry for you having to watch this drivel every week."

I couldn't muster a reply but the reporter wisely didn't share this opinion with Jewell after the game, because the City boss looked on the brink of exploding as he tried to defend an abject display from his side.

Thankfully, matters improved the following Saturday when City drew 2-2 with Sheffield United, a game in which their attacking play was much more fluid.

However, this did not stop one fan sat behind the dugout shouting to the City boss at the final whistle: "Not long now Jewell!"

This shook the Bantams boss, but it is he who has had the last laugh after a superb run which culminated in that glorious victory at Wolves on the final day of the season.

Yet it should be noted that this success did not just happen. It has been the culmination of months and months of hard work and planning.

And Jewell's main success has been fostering the never-say-die spirit which has stood City in such good stead this season when determination alone has won valuable points.

Gary Walsh, who has played under big-name managers Alex Ferguson and Bryan Robson during his career, certainly believes this sets Jewell apart from other bosses.

He said: "He plays it simple and his team talks are brilliant, probably the best I have had out of the three managers I have played under.

"He gets you going before the game and that is illustrated by the number of goals we tend to get in the first 20 minutes. We all go out fired up and desperate to win. That is his biggest strength."

Team-mate Lee Sharpe, who joined City on loan from Leeds in March, agreed. "He is very good and very positive, which is what all players want. He speaks well to the players, goes the right way around things and really deserves the success he has enjoyed."

This appears to be a commonly held view in the City dressing room, although defender John Dreyer is quick to point out that there is much more to Jewell than powers of motivation.

He said: "Obviously he is new to the management game and the important thing is he is not scared to ask others' opinions. He talks to you like a proper person whereas some managers don't entertain other players talking and giving their view.

"It is good for a professional to have his views listened to. Having said all that, he is his own man and that is very important."

The Bantams' mid-season trip to Macedonia in October offered a superb insight into just how well both Jewell and Hutchings had fostered spirit among their players.

Fifteen players made the trip and the abiding memory for me was how they all stuck together, no matter whether enjoying a quiet drink or visiting the sights.

Jewell has surprised many this season with the manner in which he has built City into a promotion-winning side.

Having achieved this success, he knows a lot of hard work lies ahead if City are to survive their first season in the Premiership. But knowing how he has bounced back from initial fan rejection, who would bet against the 34-year-old scouser achieving just that?

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.