Last season, he fought a losing battle in attempting to keep Mansfield Town in the Football League but now the only place he is looking is up.

He opened his City account with a flying header against last season's slick beaten play-off finalists and knew the importance of such a win at this early stage of the season.

Boulding, 32, who banged in 25 league goals last season, said: "We knew it was going to be a real test for us but we came through it. It was great to get an early goal but it was more important to get the result.

"I know it was my first goal for Bradford but I wasn't getting anxious – it was more important that we kept winning and that the confidence kept rising.

"I struggled with my ankle and missed pre-season but I feel stronger with every training sesssion and every match," said the striker who has enjoyed spells with Sheffield United, Barnsley and on trial at Rotherham.

"Last season we (Mansfield) went into it as one of the favourites to go down and it was a hard season but it's completely different now. It's really refreshing and it's a different sort of pressure – one which I'm enjoying.

"We don't think about being favourites and though we are a big club in this division that does not mean anything. We have won our first thr ee but that does not mean anything."

Boulding, who also struck a post in the second half as he had done at Macclesfield the previous week, is enjoying his partnership with City's 'Olympian' and fellow Mancunian Peter Thorne, who supplied the cross for the goal before heading home his fifth of the season.

"It was a fantastic ball in and Thorney said afterwards that strikers put the best crosses in because they know where the strikers want them – I just needed to get my head to it.

"Anyone can link up with Peter Thorne – he is excellent."

City chief Stuart McCall revealed that Thorne, 35, almost did not make it due to a dead leg.

"He has not done anything football-wise this week – he's been like an Olympic atyhlete, he's rode, swum and cycled but we've kept him away from any contact work even on Friday. It was a calculated risk to play him today but it paid off."

Boulding's 20th-minute strike, followed by Thorne's unmarked far post header from Paul McLaren's floated free-kick from the left ultimately clinched the points but it was far from easy against the impressive, quick-passing visitors.

McCall confessed he would have taken a draw beforehand and said: "I'm absolutely delighted. Make no bones about it, they are a very, very good side. It's a big, big win for us. I honestly believe they will be up there and if we finish above them we will be promoted.

"I watched a video of their play-off final in the morning and I heard the manager saying how they were going to come back stronger. I totally agree that they have a stronger squad but so have we. It was a big plus to get a clean sheet against a team as strong as them.

"It was the biggest test we have had up to now and I can't speak highly enough of my side. we will get a lot of confidence from that.

"It's a good benchmark – played three, won three is a dream start but we have to build on it and we will not get carried away.

His only concern afterwards was the dead leg suffered by McLaren and it will not be known until later in the week if he will be fit for the trip to Aldershot.

Otherwise, everything worked out perfectly for McCall, Rhys Evans's dominance of his six-yard area being allied to the strong central defensive partnership of captain Graeme Lee and Matthew Clarke, who can rarely have played better in a City shirt.

Rochdale forced 10 corners in the second half but had little to show for their efforts, though Adam Le Fondre headed against the bar and Paul Arnison did well to clear a goalbound shot from Chris Dagnall.

City had the pace to counter on the break through Omar Daley and Joe Colbeck and once they learn to provide better crosses, then Thorne, who already has five goals to his credit, and Boulding will be waiting to pounce.


Bradford City: Evans, Arnison, Lee, Clarke, Heckingbottom; Colbeck, McLaren (Nix 56), Bullock, Daley; Thorne (Conlon 72), M Boulding (Moncur 78). Unused substitutes: Bower, R Boulding.

Rochdale: Russell, Ramsden (Wiseman 55), Stanton, McArdle, Kennedy; Toner (LeFondre 55), Keltie, Jones, Rundle; Dagnall, Shaw (Thorpe 68). Unused substitutes: Higginbotham, Spencer.

Referee: A Penn (W Midlands).