JACK Payne joined a fairly exclusive club when he became the 95th player to score on their Bradford City debut.

Other members include Charlie Wyke, Stan Collymore and Sean McCarthy – although it’s over 60 years since Alan Hampson was the last new boy to net twice.

And you have to go back to 1928 for the last debut hat-trick when three were claimed in the same season.

Expect plenty more statistic-filled conversations like that to filter into pub chats this season.

Where the more obscure facts and figures used to be the preserve of the obsessive – and slightly scary – end of the fanbase, they have now been brought into the mainstream thanks to a new Bantams Heritage website project.

It is a labour of love from Wibsey-born journalist and ardent fan Aaron Bower, who has spent the last year trawling every information outlet to compile an exhaustive list of past and present City players.

The basis of the site is to give every one of them, right from the club’s entry into the league 115 years ago, their own individual heritage number – just as England and Australia do in international cricket.

Number one is John Beckram from City’s league bow against Grimsby in September 1903; FA-Cup winning captain Jimmy Speirs is 84, Bobby Campbell 710, Stuart McCall 722 and Steve Claridge, football’s journeyman extraordinaire, took the honour as number 1,000 when he signed for a season in 2005.

Skipper Josh Wright is currently the latest addition at 1,258. Entry criteria is restricted to appearances in the league, FA Cup, League Cup and Football League Trophy.

“This is only the start,” said Bower, who watched his first game at Valley Parade on Boxing Day 1996. “Putting the numbers together was quite time-consuming and that’s the backbone of the entire project.

“But I want to branch off and do different stuff like finding out what parts of the world Bradford City have had players come from or finding families who’ve had more than one member playing for the club.

“Ultimately, I would like it to evolve into an actual heritage foundation with past-player events and honouring great players from the past. It isn’t just about a website and a PDF document.

“From the response I’ve had so far – and the offers of help from people – I think the possibilities are endless.

“I hope it paints the club in a good light because they are all I care about.

“I wanted to bring together all generations of Bradford City’s history. There have been some unbelievable highs and obviously some tragic lows.

“There have been some great players at the club down the years and it’s only through my own father taking me to watch Bradford that I’ve learned about them.

“That was how I heard about people like Bobby Campbell and there’s a generation now who might not be able to get that insight into the club’s history. That’s why I wanted to bring together the present and the past of Bradford City.”

One strict house rule will be the absence of any club politics – “This isn’t about who owns or manages the club. It’s to celebrate the incredible history.

“I know people have been asking if the club are going to get involved. My honest answer is that I don’t know.”

Bower admits the idea has been “shamelessly nicked” from rugby league, the sport he covers for a national newspaper.

“The ones that really lead the way are Wakefield, Leeds and Warrington,” he said. “They are the three I leaned on for advice.

“Leeds Rhinos were my Eureka moment. They went on a big drive to try and get a certificate and record of authenticity to every player across the world to prove they had played for the club.

“That was when it clicked with me. Football has got a deeper history in this country than any other sport.

“Cricket do it with the numbers and I was amazed that no football club has ever tried to do this, although I quickly realised why because it’s taken a year of my life!

“But I guess City being the first was the motivation for me. The exciting thing is that I can start writing articles for it now – that’s the fun bit for me.

“The hard work is done and I hope the reward is there for everyone to see. Hopefully they can get a bit more info on what a rollercoaster ride it’s been supporting Bradford City.”

Find out more at bantamsheritage.com or @bantamsheritage on Twitter.