Bradford City v Millwall - Lee Gregory makes successful return to leave Bantams boss Phil Parkinson reeling

AMID all the accolades and awards that have been raining down on Jamie Vardy, the goalscoring exploits of another FC Halifax Town old boy have gone unheralded outside south London.

MATCH REPORT - Bradford City 1 Millwall 3: Spirit of yesteryear required for City to stay alive

Lee Gregory, who spent a little over three years at The Shay, has been Millwall’s talisman this season with an impressive haul of 26 goals.

The most recent of those came yesterday courtesy of a sublime touch and finish that ended Bradford City’s proud record of not having conceded at home for the best part of eight hours.

Considering it came just 93 seconds after the Bantams had gone ahead through Tony McMahon’s penalty, Gregory’s timing could not have been much better.

He then went on to win the free-kick that Joe Martin curled beyond Ben Williams on the stroke of half-time to provide Millwall with the two-goal advantage that is going to make the task for Phil Parkinson’s side so tough come Friday night in south London.

Despite that, the City manager was in bullish mood about the chances of Friday bringing a turnaround in fortune.

“I firmly believe this tie is not over,” said Parkinson.

“Millwall won’t do anything to surprise us, we just have to handle it better than we did in the first half.

“We are going to go down there and be as positive as we can. I believe we have the capabilities to make it a difficult night for them.

“The most disappointing thing is we are a team who has defended well recently but we gave away soft goals and they rocked us as a team. We lost our way in that period. But we responded really well in the second half to create the chances.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get that goal back but the way we played and how the lads stuck at it tells me this is not over.

“If it is Millwall who are to progress, we have to make sure they really earn it.”

Like Vardy, Gregory was on the books of his hometown club – Sheffield United, in the case of the Lions’ striker – but released as a youngster.

A stint at Staveley Miners Welfare followed before Mansfield Town’s curiosity was piqued sufficiently to offer a contract.

It wasn’t to prove a successful move and before long Gregory was being loaned out to Glapwell, Harrogate Town and, finally, FC Halifax, then of the Northern Premier League First Division.

Here, Gregory’s potential blossomed and after finishing 2013-14 as the Conference’s top goalscorer his big chance came via a £250,000 move to The Den.

Stepping up three divisions to the Championship from part-time Halifax was a tall order, not least because Millwall were struggling at the time and destined to be relegated. He netted just nine times last term, as a result.

This time around, however, the Gregory so familiar to regulars at The Shay during his time in West Yorkshire has been causing untold problems for League One defences.

If Bradford are to have any hope in south London this Friday, shackling not only Gregory but also former Leeds United striker Steve Morison is imperative.

Neil Harris, the Lions manager, is in no doubt how integral the pair are to his side’s success.

“Both lads were excellent,” said the former striker.

“Especially in the first half. A real handful and continually asking questions of the Bradford backline.

Both finished were excellent in their own right. They are good guys and get on well. Lee has had a tear in his stomach area, a bit like a hernia, and it has been difficult to handle for the past six weeks.

“But he had a real desire to play against Bradford.”

As for the balance of the tie, Harris added: “All the old cliches apply, in that it is only half-time. The boys have to prepare mentally and physically for the second leg.

“I thought we saw the real Bradford side in the second half and how they imposed themselves on us. But we stood strong and threw ourselves in front of efforts on goal.

“It was a brilliant atmosphere so to come from a goal behind in front of that was very pleasing.”