Review of the Year: It has certainly been an eventful 12 months for Brad-ford City.

The Bantams' year began with much uncertainty following the sacking of manager Chris Kamara just six days into January, but it is ending with everyone at Valley Parade harbouring real hopes of promotion to the Premiership.

City's first game of 1998 turned out to be Kamara's last in charge as he was sacked just three days after crashing out of the FA Cup at Manchester City.

The move took many by surprise, although Kamara had hinted in the previous weekend's Yorkshire Sports that he was feeling the pressure.

Paul Jewell was appointed on a caretaker basis as chairman Geoffrey Richmond invited applications for the post.

City responded to Jewell's appointment by earning a superb 2-1 victory at Stockport and, within a couple of weeks, he had been handed the job until the end of the season.

The fall-out from Kamara's dismissal continued when that well-known man of the people and all-round good egg David Mellor asked a City fan on BBC Radio 5 Live if the decision had been made on the grounds of race.

Richmond was quite rightly appalled by such a distasteful comment, and the row culminated in an unforgettable ten-minute row live on air between the pair the following Saturday.

While the row rumbled on, Jewell continued to get to grips with the new role, and it was soon clear that the likeable scouser was impressing his chairman.

The results may not have been too impressive, particularly during the final weeks of the campaign when a City victory looked about as likely as Bill Clinton telling the truth, but Richmond had seen enough in Jewell to award him a two-year contract last May.

The fans' initial reaction to the appointment was not altogether favourable, a large number questioning the money Jewell was subsequently handed to try and build a promotion-winning side. However, the City boss bought well, all his signings being comfortable on the ball.

It seems strange now, but at the time of the Bantams' poor start to the season, the knives were out for Jewell. To his credit, the City boss blocked out the pressure and carried on working hard behind the scenes to get things right on the field.

Slowly but surely, the results started to improve and City began climbing the table, and by the halfway stage they are sitting in third position.

Off the field, the club is also in healthy shape, with work already underway on the new all-seater Kop which the club hope will be opened to stage Premiership football.

It has been an enthralling year at Valley Parade, and the signs are that the coming 12 months could be among the most exciting in the history of Bradford City.

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