THE first time I met Dave Baldwin, we were in a taxi en route for a night out in Wibsey with Jamie Lawrence. I remember little else about it.

I've similarly hazy recollections of other social evenings with Bradford City's Burnley-bound director of operations, apart from the fact that they tended to involve copious amounts of whisky.

Baldwin has always been cracking company socially – and I'd like to think that will still be the case when he joins the Premier League hoi polloi next week.

Let me make it clear that our dealings are not just linked to the pub. On a professional basis, he is straight-talking and honest and will never fail to get back to you.

As a football reporter, having someone like that high up at a club is a Godsend; someone you know you can trust to give an answer and keep you informed of what is going on.

More importantly, for City, you could argue he has been one of the key signings in recent years.

Think back to the position that the club were in during the summer of 2007, when he first arrived to "help out a bit commercially", and their status now.

We probably didn't do him any favours by recently publishing an early image from that time, as a much more 'youthful' Baldwin looked on wistfully from the main stand.

Plenty has changed since – but mostly to the Bantams landscape that he will be leaving for Burnley.

Don't forget that his arrival after Mark Lawn and Stuart McCall was at the start of the cut-price season-ticket revolution. The enviable attendances we take for granted at Valley Parade were borne out of those plans.

City's links within the local business community are stronger than at any time I can remember since I started covering the club in the Premier League.

That relationship had been ravaged by so many factors: the two administrations, the broken promises, the empty boasts of the ill-fated Peter Etherington era. The city became disenchanted with its football club.

Baldwin's contribution in mending those bridges – and that of his team behind the scenes – should not be underestimated.

He also leaves a club that are establishing themselves in League One again after six long years in the basement division.

Burnley first came knocking a couple of summers ago but Baldwin turned them down, chiefly for that reason. He still wanted to be part of that first step back up the ladder.

Even now, there were plenty of sleepless nights before he finally agreed to the renewed interest.

But the decisive factor in making his mind up was a lot closer to home. With a child on the way in January, his family circumstances are changing.

The chance of working at a top-flight club – and the guaranteed financial security that will provide – was impossible to turn down, especially when it does not involve relocating from the area.

Baldwin steps down after the close of business on Friday but he will be at Valley Parade next weekend to watch the Doncaster game.

Being November 1, he will technically be a Burnley employee by then – yet is passing over the chance to see his new club in the swanky surrounds of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

He has already admitted there could be tears at the final whistle; the claret and amber blood will remain.

It will be interesting to see how City fill the void. They are fairly sizeable shoes to step into.

I understand nothing has been decided so far because Lawn has been off ill for a few weeks, so there has not been a chance for the two chairmen to sit down and discuss the situation properly.

That chat is planned for the coming days, when Lawn and Julian Rhodes will realistically have three options to consider.

They could simply choose to do nothing for now and allow things to carry on for a while as they are. After all, you could argue there is no immediate rush because of the time of year.

It's not as if we're fast approaching the close season when contracts are agreed and signed and the club focus all their transfer activity.

They may, of course, just go for it and look for a quick replacement – although there is no indication that is on the agenda.

More realistically, City may consider looking for someone to take on the day-to-day running on a 'caretaker' basis. Remember Baldwin first arrived at Valley Parade in the same 'suck it and see' scenario before his position became permanent.

But Baldwin will cross the Pennines with everyone's best wishes – the glowing good-luck messages are proof of that. Even the notoriously awkward audiences that frequent the message boards are all singing his praises.

And I look forward to my next social evening with a Premier League high-flyer. Not that I'll probably remember any of it.