Bradford City Football Club was searching for a new chairman today after Gordon Gibb suddenly quit.

He ended his 17-month reign yesterday afternoon, stepping down alongside another director, his accountant Andrew Richardson.

In a statement following his resignation, Mr Gibb said: "I feel that the time has come now for somebody else to take the responsibility of chairman with fresh enthusiasm and vigour.

"In respect of recent negotiations with our major creditors a solid foundation has been built for success to be brought to the club.

"I would like to thank all concerned for their support over my tenure and wish everybody connected with the club all the very best for the future."

Since he took over from Geoffrey Richmond in August 2002, Mr Gibb has ploughed £5m into the club from his family pension fund and bought the mortgage for the Bradford & Bingley Stadium to pay off City's biggest creditors Lombard. He has already made it clear that he will not be taking his money back.

Manager Bryan Robson broke the news to the players at their team hotel last night as they prepared to meet top-of-the-table Norwich today at Carrow Road.

It leaves the club with a three-man board - chief executive Julian Rhodes, his father David and managing director Shaun Harvey.

Lifelong fan Julian Rhodes would be the obvious choice to take over the helm although no immediate decision is expected.

But the day-to-day running of the club - second from bottom in the league and clinging desperately to First Division status - is unlikely to be affected by Mr Gibb's departure.

Mr Harvey said: "We have to digest his decision to resign and the effect that has and will comment accordingly when we've had time to consider everything."

An official statement is expected early next week.

Mr Gibb succeeded Geoffrey Richmond at a time when City was in administration and locked in a battle for the very survival of the club.

Together with the Rhodes family he steered the club through some of the rockiest financial times in its 100 year history.

The youngest chairman in the English game at 27, he split his time between City and his Flamingo Land theme park in North Yorkshire, spending two days a week at the football club.

But he had become disillusioned by the lack of support from the local business community. He was also frustrated by the growing number of stay-away fans and home crowds remain low despite the high-profile capture of Bryan Robson as manager.

Mr Gibb nearly quit after the 3-0 defeat at Sunderland on Boxing Day. His decision to walk away came in the week that the Bantams were knocked out of the FA Cup at home by lower league Luton.

Mr Gibb's departure brought a mixed reaction from fans.

Dave Pendleton, organiser of the club's centenary exhibition, said: "I thought his recent comments were a shot across the bow but he evidently wasn't calling anybody's bluff.

"His contribution has been to keep City alive. He was here when we needed him and although it was only for a short time his actions could be lasting long into the future."

Mike Harrison, who writes for the City Gent fanzine, said: "He has realised this is truly a bottomless pit. I also think he underestimated the depth of feelings from the businesses who have done very poorly out of the creditors' report.

"People will say he is not showing the strength for a fight. But I think he is quite strong for admitting defeat."

But supporter Andrew Dean felt the chairman was running out on the club.

"I think it's a bit spineless," he said. "If he wasn't prepared to do it properly, he shouldn't have got involved in the first place.

"When you take a position of chairman there are certain responsibilities that come with it and he has failed in those responsibilities."

On the club website's message board last night there were even some calls for Geoffrey Richmond to return. But that would not happen while the Rhodes family are involved after their fall-out during the cash crisis in 2002.