NOTHING is more likely to earn a stern look from the manager than to start banging on about the league table.

A roll of the eyes from Gary Bowyer is usually a clear enough deterrent to anyone with the temerity to start discussing positions.

“It’s very early; very, very early” is the pat answer from the City boss when it gets brought up on an almost weekly basis.

Of course, there is no escape in a world of 24/7 rolling coverage on the TV which ensures the current state of League Two flicks round with monotonous regularity.

You may not want to talk about it all the time but it is impossible to avoid.

But the 10-game point of the season is generally seen as the first true marker as the division starts to take shape.

Read more: Dylan Connolly says there's more to come from him

Five wins and 17 points, therefore, represents a solid beginning for a campaign where expectations are understandably fairly high.

City currently reside in a play-off spot, even if Bowyer certainly won’t want to join in the discussion at such a premature stage.

As he has pointed out previously, his Blackpool side had been lower mid-table going into February the year they came straight back up. Success in September can be no more than an illusion.

Dylan Connolly hasn’t been at Valley Parade for long but knows not to stray from the party line.

Yet the on-loan Wimbledon winger, whose eye-catching presence has injected a frisson of excitement into City’s play, is pleased with what he’s seeing – and believes it can be a springboard for a sustained push for the top.

He said: “It is too early to be looking at the table too much but it’s not bad so far.

“We just want to knock the games off and keeping picking up the three points. Then you see where that takes us.

“But I can feel we are getting better every week and scoring goals. It’s quite exciting really.

“You can see that everyone is getting stronger and fitter. We’re in a good way now.”

The growing optimism within the dressing room, even if it is voiced out of their gaffer’s earshot, is based on the competition at his disposal.

The feverish activity over the summer transfer window is beginning to bear fruit.

Bowyer’s deliberate policy of holding players back while they built up match fitness means he now has more resources to pick from that at any point in his Bantams tenure.

While the City public clamoured to see all the signings in action, Bowyer’s caution in waiting to bring them up to speed looks to be paying off.

After five appearances off the bench, Callum Cooke made the most of finally being let off the leash for his first start against Carlisle.

And Zeli Ismail popped up with a late goal to rubberstamp the win before following up with another lively 45-minute cameo in the Leasing.com Trophy.

The winger’s game time is gradually increasing – a fact not lost on Connolly.

He added: “There’s a good squad of players here and everyone knows you’ve got to perform every week.

“If you don’t do that, you won’t be in the team the following week. We’ve all got to produce.

“Zeli comes on for me last week and scores a goal. The depth we have is amazing.

“We’ve got to be on it or somebody else will be. But having that good squad to pick from draws everyone on that extra mile.”