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Bradford City 2 Port Vale 2(City win 5-4 on penalties): Eastwood in the right place to see City through
Bradford City goalkeeper Simon Eastwood proved he was the penalty king saving three spot-kicks to earn his side a place in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy semi-finals.
The Bantams looked to have blown their chance after James O'Brien and Chris Brandon missed their penalties.
But Luke O'Brien and captain Zesh Rehman held their nerve to make it 4-4 from the spot and after Eastwood bagged his hat-trick of stops Bantams' centre-half Steve Williams fired home to spark relieved celebrations.
Injuries and suspension forced Bantams' manager Stuart McCall to shuffle his midfield and a new-look pairing of Rehman and teenager Luke Sharry failed to gel as in-form Vale bossed the early exchanges.
Louis Dodds twice fired wide for the visitors in the opening 15 minutes and Vale striker Jamie Guy almost opened the scoring with a diving header and it was no real surprise when Vale went ahead after 27 minutes.
After clearing a corner the Bantams' backline was caught flat-footed as Vale's Tommy Fraser picked out the unmarked John McCombe with a cross from the right and the defender confidently fired home.
Just three minutes after the break substitute James O'Brien floated over a near-post corner which allowed Michael Flynn to nod home the equaliser from four yards.
Flynn was denied a second by Chris Martin's save soon after, but when James Hanson headed City in front from Luke O'Brien's 69th minute free-kick the game looked to have swung their way.
Vale continued to press and when Louis Dodds was allowed to run across the City box he set up Robert Taylor to drill a 75th-minute equaliser beyond Eastwood.
Bradford City: Eastwood, Bateson, Williams, Clarke, L O'Brien; Rehman, Flynn, Sharry (Brandon 46); Neilson, Hanson, M Boulding (J O'Brien 46). Unused substitutes: McLaughlin, R Boulding, Osborne.
Port Vale: Martin, McCombe, Collins, Owen (Richards 31), K Taylor; Yates, Fraser, Jarrett (Griffith 66), R Taylor; Guy (Haldane 66), Dodds. Unused substitutes: Anyon, Loft.
Referee: G Salisbury (Preston).
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
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