Bradford City's transformation into one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the First Division during the second half of 1998 has been nothing short of amazing.

Last season, only four sides, including relegated Stoke and Reading, scored less than the Bantams' paltry 46 goals from as many matches.

This time around, however, the transformation has been marked with City finishing the year as the division's fourth highest with 44 from just 25 games.

And the three sides immediately above them - Sunderland (55), West Brom (47) and Bolton (46) - have all played one game more than City to illustrate just how well Paul Jewell has done during his first 12 months at the helm.

Lee Mills has understandably taken the headlines with his 15 goals to establish himself as one of the hottest properties in the Nationwide League.

However it is the way players such as Robbie Blake, with ten goals, and Peter Beagrie, nine, have chipped in vital strikes which has ensured the Bantams are now among the front-runners for promotion.

It is all in sharp contrast to last season where Edinho and Rob Steiner finished as joint top scorers with 11 goals apiece but with the rest of the team failing to contribute an adequate number of goals, it meant City were often struggling to grind out victories.

Mills is quick to pay tribute to the service he receives both from midfield and from whoever he has been partnering up front and that has undeniably been a huge factor in City's goal-scoring prowess this time around.

However I believe the abundance of quality strikers that City boast has played a major part in this transformation.

Mills must be one of the first names Jewell puts on his team-sheet because of the aerial presence he provides both in defence and attack.

That means that Blake, Gordon Watson and Isaiah Rankin are usually competing for the right to play alongside Mills.

And with that level of competition, every striker knows that if their performances dip below the highest level then a team-mate is waiting to take centre stage. That is a great position for manager Paul Jewell to be in.

That has been illustrated several times already this year with Rankin and Watson both enjoying runs in the side before Jewell decided to make a change.

At the moment, Blake is playing what must amount to the best football of his career but if he suddenly loses form in the New Year then either Watson or Rankin are ready to step into his shoes. And that is great news for Bradford City.

With today being the last of 1998, the sense of optimism which has built up in and around Valley Parade is starting to move into overdrive.

City's exciting style of play has led to the club's fans starting to dream of regular visits to Anfield, Old Trafford and Highbury next season.

Jewell and his squad are banishing such talk and insisting that the well-worn clich of only looking as far as the next game applies to them.

It is by far the most sensible approach because if they allow themselves to be caught up by the hype then a plummet down the table is as certain as night follows day.

However if they can continue the form of the last few months then it could be a very, very happy New Year for the fans, players and officials of Bradford City.

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