Bradford City fans will be hoping Isaiah Rankin's decisive first goal for the Bantams will be the start of something big for the club record signing.

The 20-year-old arrived at Valley Parade from north London giants Arsenal last week in a £1.3 million deal amid huge expectation.

The fee may have raised eyebrows in football with Rankin having played just four minutes in the Premiership, but City boss Paul Jewell is hoping he will prove to be the final component in his re-building process for the team.

And on the evidence of Rankin's first two games it is clear that the youngster could have a big future in the game.

Along with Lee Mills, the striker has brought a new dimension to City's attacking game and the pair look like striking up a great understanding.

After seeing the former Arsenal man sat in the directors box with Paul Jewell during last week's reserve team victory over Notts County, I made some enquiries about Rankin in London and all I heard were glowing references.

When I told the reporter who covers Arsenal for the Islington Gazette of City's interest, he even went as far as saying that 'Arsenal may let Isaiah go on loan, but they won't sell him'.

However within 48 hours Jewell had broken the club transfer record for the second time in a week and Rankin was on his way to Yorkshire.

And his first two outings for City have certainly whetted the appetite with his pace and power unsettling the opposition throughout both games.

However Rankin has much more than these basic attributes to his game with one of his main strengths being an ability to shield the ball.

The 20-year-old uses his body very well and at times reminds me of former Leeds hitman Tony Yeboah, who used his backside superbly to turn any Premiership defender tightly marking him.

Jewell watched Rankin three times towards the end of last season while his assistant Chris Hutchings saw him in a similar amount of games.

Both were hugely impressed and after bringing him to Valley Parade they must be pleased with the impact he has made at the start of his City career.

Some critics may point to the chances he has missed, but the simple fact is that it was Rankin's pace that created most of these openings.

He was unfortunate to see his fifth minute shot come back off the post at Watford before failing to make better use of two good openings.

At Lincoln he twice raced away from the home defence only to be tackled as he shaped to shoot and as the second half wore on it looked like he may miss out again.

As the game entered the final 20 minutes I thought that what he really needed was a goal to bounce in off his shin or shoulder just to get him off the mark and the confidence flowing.

And in the end it was his persistence which paid off when he capitalised on a mix-up in the Lincoln defence to score what proved to be the winner.

The relief was etched all over his face after the game as the bubbly Londoner, who has his feet firmly planted on the ground, basked in the glow of his first ever City goal.

And City fans will be hoping it is the first of many as Jewell's side look to launch their First Division season in the coming weeks.

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