THERE was a time not long ago when Vinny Jones and Gary Lineker had a better chance of forming a partnership than Nathan Blake and John McGinlay.

The wide body of opinion was that Blake - a £1.5 million Premiership misfit - didn't even have a future at Burnden after managing just one goal in half a season.

Now he's the dominant half of a double act that's put Wanderers double top of the bill - Division One leaders and the country's highest scoring team.

For the moment, McGinlay is happy in the unaccustomed role as straight man but, confident in his own tried and trusted scoring ability, he doesn't expect that to last.

"I'm not in the least bit worried about not scoring," says the Scot who has netted just twice while Blake has bagged seven in the last six league games.

"It's still early days. If I go a dozen games I might start getting concerned but at the moment there's no bother because we're playing well and Nathan's knocking them in.

"The time might come when he has a dry run and I'll be hitting them in but at this stage, there's no problem."

No problem at all, judging by the way Blake tore Bradford to shreds in the latest offering from this born-again striker.

He scored twice and conjured up the other two for Alan Thompson and Per Frandsen as Wanderers once again eclipsed inferior opposition with a devastating display of attacking football that's setting a staggering pace in the early laps of the promotion race.

It wasn't all plain sailing. Defensive dithering late in the first half let Bradford get back on terms when they should have been dead and buried at 2-0.

But sheer class and attacking power was rewarded in the end. Even home boss Chris Kamara was forced to concede that his side's losing margin could have been much wider.

"Bolton could have had three or four more," Kamara admitted. "We got ourselves back in the game with a lot of spirit, fight and determination, then threw it away. Until the third goal went in I thought we were more than a match for them but, after that, their movement, passing and everything else was top class. We looked like amateurs."

Bradford should never really have been in it and they certainly had no way back once Blake had unselfishly helped the powerful Frandsen restore Wanderers' lead nine minutes into the second half.

It took a string of fine saves by Eric Nixon, on loan from Tranmere, to deny Frandsen, Blake, Michael Johansen and Scott Taylor before Thompson helped Blake wrap it up with the fourth six minutes from time. Even then Nixon had to make two more impressive stops, from Thompson and Taylor, to save the Yorkshire side further embarrassment and secure a scoreline that won one lucky punter a £15,000 windfall for a £300 bet at odds of 50-1.

Blake was irrepressible from the first minute when he delicately cushioned David Lee's cross into Thompson's path for a goal that set the standard for an afternoon of slick attacking football that left Bradford, without a goal in their previous three games, gasping.

Despite feeling the effects of flu symptoms and having to cope with the presence of wily old Gordon Cowans, Thompson ran the midfield; Lee drove Wayne Jacobs crackers and the Bantams were made to look just what they are - a team struggling at the wrong end of the table.

Blake got his reward for persistence, courtesy of Nicky Mohan's embarrassing slip, to put Wanderers two up inside 20 minutes and the game threatened to become a rout.

But, not for the first time this season, good defenders got themselves in trouble and four frantic minutes saw Bradford bounce back.

With Gudni Bergsson making his long-awaited first start of the season in place of Steve McAnespie at right back, Wanderers had their most experienced and, arguably, their strongest back four in harness.

But they couldn't prevent Lee Duxbury getting in the left wing cross for Richard Liburd to plant an impressive side-foot volley past Keith Branagan on 36 minutes and, after Gerry Taggart had been booked for obstructing Ian Moore, no-one was able to stop Marco Sas rising to head in Jacobs' curling free kick.

A McGinlay miss, one-on-one with Nixon after being put through by Thompson three minutes into the second half, suggested this might be a day Wanderers would rue sloppy defending and poor finishing.

Liburd linked with Moore and suddenly Branagan was exposed but, within seconds, Frandsen's power and Blake's unselfishness had put Bradford in their place. Apart from the odd untidy moment at the back, the rest was academic.

"I thought we excelled for 75 minutes and could have had more goals," Todd said with justified satisfaction.

"We put ourselves in a difficult situation after being 2-0 up and looking very comfortable. There was a 15-minute spell when we didn't defend well and conceded two soft goals.

"That was the only disappointment but I can't complain because, over the 90 minutes, I thought we showed what a good attacking side we can be.

"We were good value for the win and it could have been more."

The Burnden boss, who has seen his team already chalk up as man away wins as in the whole of the Premiership season, was glowing in his praise of Blake and wholeheartedly supportive of McGinlay.

"Blakey's been playing very well this season but he's capped it off with his best all-round performance. He showed tremendous control and movement and John McGinlay played a big part too. They linked up well together."

Partners on the field, the double act was in full swing again as they linked up in a quickfire exchange to offer a slightly different view than the manager's.

McGinlay: "Nathan's giving people problems - in the second half in particular when we started to open them up and get behind them more:

Blake: "But I wouldn't say it was my best performance."

McGinlay: "That's right, he's played better than that."

Blake: "I think my performance against Manchester City was better. It's the goals, you see. That's what people look at."

McGinlay: "Definitely. You played better against City. I've played well in games and not scored."

Blake: "Yeah, you played well the other day (against Grimsby) when Michael (Johansen) nicked your goal.

"See, it doesn't depend on goals. You might have a 'mare' (nightmare) and score a hat-trick. But they don't see the 'mare' because you've scored three goals."

McGinlay: "The partnership's going well."

Blake: "Yeah! It's blossoming!"

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