Bradford City 0 Carlisle 0: A fourth successive draw for Bantams - but why there was still some relief at the end

For Bradford City, plenty of figures have also been doing the rounds of late regarding conversion rates in particular.

In Saturday's exercise in frustration against Hartlepool United, City had to settle for a point despite registering 18 attempts on goal, with seven on target.

An over-dependence on Andy Cook - top-scorer in the division with 22 league goals ahead of Carlisle's visit - and a comparative lack of input from elsewhere has again been cited as an area of concern among supporters.

In City's six-pointer with the Cumbrians, the only number that mattered was three - and maintaining their automatic promotion hopes by way of three points, however they transpired.

On a night when the result was the be-all and end-all, in a 'huge' game as Mark Hughes put it, it was another 'if only' occasion, all rather commonplace for the Bantams in recent seasons.

It was a stalemate which suited Carlisle, now third on goal difference, Northampton and Stevenage rather more than Bradford, whose top-three odds will have lengthened after these events - even if the gap between themselves and eighth place has crept up to five points.

City increased the urgency and tempo in the second half and predictably, it was Cook, who started his career at Brunton Park, who went closest to providing the game breaking moment midway through.

Played in by Richie Smallwood, the striker took aim and his drive looked goalbound, only for Cumbrians captain Morgan Feeney -who had a battle royale with his adversary all night - get a key touch to deflect in onto the woodwork.

A point was not ideal - a fourth successive draw on the spin - and there was no victory to crown Hughes's fiftieth game in charge of the club.

A plethora of draws can kill some ambitious promotion-chasing sides in late season. Yet there should be perspective. It could have been worse, much worse, right at the death.

Former Bantams player Jordan Gibson, jeered from home supporters after entering the fray late on, saw his shot shudder the post with the last kick of the game - as everyone of a claret and amber persuasion heaved a collective sigh of relief as the hosts unbeaten run extended to seven matches.

It might not necessarily be the last occasion in which Bradford and Carlisle see each other in 2022-23 either.

Commitment was there in spades in a game which was ferociously competitive, but the trade-off was that it was pretty frantic and lacked genuine goalmouth incident, certainly in the first half.

Carlisle had bite and energy in the centre ground, while City possessed the seniority in a good honest battle.

The visitors, not afraid to mix it up and go direct at times, did offer a semblance of threat down the left at junctures and there were a few home flutters in particular when a dangerous cross from Jack Armer flashed across goal when it just required a touch from a United player.

City had a few promising situations on the counter, but could not open the door with that requisite moment of poise and precision and Carlisle - who had a handy spell before the end of the first half - had the reason to be more satisfied.

A sniff ahead of the break saw Edmondson’s downward header grasped by Harry Lewis while half-shouts for a penalty after Armer theatrically went down under the challenge of Brad Halliday were rightly dismissed.

The hosts needed to do more going forward and give Cook something to get his teeth into and he finally received something to feed off soon after the resumption.

He latched onto Halliday’s pass down the right channel and deceived Ben Barclay before cutting inside, with his goalbound blocked by the Cumbrians defender who recovered in the nick of time.

City were showing signs of upping it and the Kop needed little encouragement to buy into it, with Barclay’s bothersome start to the half soon seeing him carded after a cynical block on Chapman as he threatened to surge clear.

After finishing the first half well enough, the break appeared to be untimely for Carlisle, who were quiet on the restart.

A further sign of that arrived in the sight of Paul Simpson swapping his two strikers, while Hughes soon provided an energy rush by making a triple substitution - but not before Cook almost brought the house down.

Cook persisted and was then denied by Tomas Holy from a tight angle while substitute Oliver flicked over before Gibson almost applied the sting.

Bradford City: Lewis; Halliday; Platt, Stubbs, Ridehalgh (Crichlow 69); Gilliead (Pereira 84), Clayton (East 68), Smallwood; Banks, Chapman (Oliver 68), Cook. Substitutes unused: Doyle, Bola, C Kelly.

Carlisle United: Holy; Barclay, Feeney, Mellish; Senior (Robinson 90), McCalmont (Gibson 84), Guy, Moxon, Armer; Dennis (Patrick 64), Edmondson (Garner 64). Substitutes unused: M Kelly, Whelan, Gordon.

Referee: W Finnie (Bedfordshire).