He started the 2004–05 season in tremendous form, scoring for four successive league games in August, including a brace past Hull City. With his contract up in the summer, the next month he was sold to Bristol City for a fee of £225,000. This came days after fans were told he was not for sale and would not be moving by Vale chairman Bill Bratt – a statement that convinced City chairman Stephen Lansdown that "we must now look elsewhere." He went on to have a highly successful season with City, scoring sixteen goals for the club, despite suffering from a broken toe. This gave him a total of 21 goals for both Vale and City in 2004–05, and won him another year on his contract with City. This extended deal quashed rumours of a move to Norwich City.