Bradford 4 Walsall 0: Hanson is back with a bang and first hat-trick

Phil Parkinson praised hat-trick hero James Hanson as Bradford City's longest serving player scored the first hat-trick of his career in the Bantams' win over League One play-off rivals Walsall in front of a bumper 19,336 Valley Parade crowd.

It is a result that goes a long way towards guaranteeing fifth-placed Bradford a place in the play-offs – they lead seventh-placed Gillingham by five points with two matches to play and are one point behind fourth-placed Walsall.

Hanson, who joined City from Guiseley in 2008, scored his three goals in a 16-minute second-half spell in his first start for 10 matches.

Parkinson, who described Bradford’s performance as the best of the season, said: “Cometh the hour, cometh the man – when the big games come along, James Hanson has got the courage to produce when it matters most.

“I don’t think you are going to get many better centre-forward displays than that.”

Portuguese midfield player Filipe Morais, in his first start since recovering from a pre-season knee injury, gave Bradford a 53rd-minute lead, turning Hanson’s header into the net from close range.

Hanson scored the first of his three goals after latching on to captain Stephen Darby’s long ball in the 58th minute. His second was a header from Tony McMahon’s free- kick and he completed his hat-trick with a close-range header from Morais’s cross in the 74th minute.

Bradford City: Williams, Darby, McArdle, Burke (N Clarke 83), Meredith, McMahon, Evans, Cullen, Reid, Morais (Proctor 78), Hanson (B Clarke 87). Unused substitutes: Cracknell, J Morris, Thorpe, Anderson.

Walsall: Etheridge, Taylor, O’Connor, Downing, Chambers, Mantom (K Morris 70), Sawyers, Forde, Henry (Bradshaw 59), Kinsella, Hiwula (Cook 82). Unused substitutes: MacGillivra, Lalkovic, Preston, Sangha.

Referee: D Drysdale (Lincolnshire).

Man of the match: James Hanson.