Bradford 0 Bury 0: Bantams' FA Cup shoot-out loss ends chance of Yorkshire derby with Hull City

After two hours of largely sterile football could not separate the Bantams and fellow third-tier club Bury, the tie went to penalties and it was David Flitcroft's men who prevailed.

Devante Cole and Steven Davies both saw their spot-kicks saved, while Bury netted all four of their own efforts to book a fourth-round date at home to Hull City on January 30.

For Bradford, victors over Chelsea in this competition a year ago, it was the second time this season that penalties had proved their undoing after crashing out of the Capital One Cup at York City in August.

This, however, was even more disappointing than that exit at Bootham Crescent.

Bury playing for 80 minutes with just 10 men following the dismissal of Nathan Cameron made crashing out even more unpalatable for the home fans in a crowd of 6,227, Jacob Mellis's penalty clinched a 4-2 shoot-out triumph.

Bradford's exit came despite having not conceded a goal in 480 minutes of action in this season's competition, but that counts for nothing today after being denied a meeting with the Tigers that would have earned the club around £200,000.

Bury's booking of a meeting with Steve Bruce's men was reward for a fine rearguard display, the visitors having understandably retreated deeper and deeper into their own territory after being reduced to 10 men five minutes before half-time.

With the hosts largely lacking the wit or guile to break down this wall of white shirts, the ensuing stalemate was inevitable.

The Bantams did hit both post and crossbar during the second half, but Bury were good value for taking the tie to penalties.

Bruce, who had been found deep in conversation with former Manchester United team-mate Andy Cole ahead of kick-off, had left by then and is unlikely to have been unduly worried by what he witnessed.

Granted, there was no lack of effort from the teams on a cold night. There were also the odd neat passage of play. Too often, however, any moments of promise evaporated as quickly as they had arrived thanks to a poor touch or misplaced pass.

Devante Cole, the reason father Andy was at Valley Parade, was behind a couple of these, showed tremendous determination and then poise to win the ball before passing to Mark Marshall.

Luke James was quickly found, but when the Peterborough United loanee drilled an inviting cross for Cole, the striker lost his footing at the vital moment.

Marshall had been equally wasteful a couple of minutes earlier, the winger scuffing his shot after fine work by James out wide on the right, to leave the biggest talking point of the first half the dismissal of Cameron.

Booked initially for dragging down James, the Bury defender was guilty of a senseless handball on halfway that left referee Geoff Eltringham with no option but to brandish a second yellow card of the night.

That left City with 50 minutes to try to capitalise in normal time. It was no't enough, a resolute Bury defence ensuring the tie went to extra-time.

Bradford did twice go within a whisker of making the breakthrough in the second half.

First, Josh Morris fired against an upright before Rory McArdle's follow-up from close range squirmed wide of the target.

Then, in the second minute of stoppage time, Steven Davies headed against the crossbar after being picked out by Lee Evans.

On both occasions, City were unfortunate to be denied but, in truth, the Shakers deserved their good fortune.

Led admirably by former Huddersfield Town captain Peter Clarke, who had been brought off the bench following Cameron's dismissal, the visitors showed tremendous desire and tenacity.

Clarke pulled off one sublime tackle to deny James that epitomised the never-say-die attitude of Flitcroft's men and ensured the sides could not be separated in normal time.

Davies again went close to making the breakthrough eight minutes into extra-time with a fierce shot that flashed just past Ian Lawlor's post.

The tie belatedly sparked into life during the final period of extra-time as, first, Danny Pugh hit a post for Bury before Billy Clarke brought a flying save from Lawlor.

Bury's goalkeeper was again called into action to deny James Meredith and then Billy Clarke saw his follow-up blocked before Cole fired narrowly wide at the death.

That meant penalties and Bury prevailed to set up a fourth-round date with Hull.

Bradford City: Williams; Darby, McArdle, N Clarke, Meredith; McMahon, Routis (B Clarke 66), Evans, Marshall (Davies 85); James (Morris 66), Cole. Unused substitutes: Cracknell, Knott, Leigh, Reid.

Bury: Lawlor; Soares, Cameron, Brown, Hussey; Tutte, Etutu (Mellis 120), Pugh, Mayor (Lowe 116); L Clarke, Pope (P Clarke 42). Unused substitutes: Riley, Sedgewick, Burgess, Miller.

Referee: G Eltringham (Tyne & Wear).