The Magician is set for his double century

For some time it had looked as though Stan Ternent was going to splash £1 million on Stockport striker Shefki Kuqi, and indeed he was, but it all changed when the then Bantams Chairman Mr Pompous Geoffrey Richmond said Blake was available.

Despite him suffering a groin injury we clinched the deal and he made his debut as a substitute against West Brom in February 2002, replacing Ian Moore. We lost the game, he didn't do much, and for the rest of the season was a bit player and nothing else. He started just the one game and eventually was forced to have a double hernia operation in the summer.

We'd not seen him fit, but he was in the side on the opening day of the 2002/03 season. In a poor team performance against Brighton he was accused by Ternent of playing in diving boots and promptly dropped.

I'd remembered him turning in a superb performance against us for Forest in 2000 during a loan spell there, but we'd certainly seen nothing like that from him at Burnley. Then, at Derby in the sixth league game of the season he lifted us out of our seats with a wonderful display in the second half. Robbie Blake had arrived.

On form he was often the star of the show alongside Glen Little and there's no doubt we were very fortunate to have these two players in our side at the same time.

In the 2003/04 season he scored 19 league goals, and where would we have been without them. In the following season he had ten by mid-December but then left for Birmingham. I think at that point he was playing his best football for us and he certainly proved difficult to replace.

He was away for two and a half years before returning for a knock down price and this season he's possibly been even better than he was in that 2004/05 season, although now in a position where he won't score quite so many goals.

Some of the recent performances have been stunning, and none more so than the Spurs game on the Turf. But then there was the free kick at Preston and the wonderful skill that set up Steven Thompson for his goal against West Brom.

Sometimes it is said that certain players are worth the admission money alone, and our magician Robbie Blake certainly comes into that category.

Now he reaches 200 league appearances for the Clarets, and surely with everyone hoping there will be many more to come.