Bradford City 0 Huddersfield Town 3: Hallowe’en nightmare on Valley Parade for Bantams as Terriers exorcise demons

Beaten in last season’s fixture at BD8 - and beaten well - Town had their schadenfreude moment, while making a mockery of the hosts defensive record.

City came into the game with six successive clean sheets to their name - with Michael Duff yet to see his side concede under his watch.

Meanwhile, keeper Jon McCracken was eyeing his eighth shut-out in row.

Here, the Scot shipped three goals in the opening 51 minutes, including two early in the second half to settle a derby which was evenly poised at the interval.

Town led through a magnificent acrobatic strike from Joe Low early on. City were still well in the game and contained Derensili Sanches Fernandes and Joe Taylor well enough in the opening half.

That soon changed as quick-fire goals from the pair - following poor defensive play - ushering in a party for Town.

On All Saints Eve, it was suddenly all Town, whose 2,755 sell-out contingent baited former boss Michael Duff and saluted their own in Martin Drury, a former City coach while heralding their side’s promotion credentials. Which look very real.

On a day when City could have drawn level on points with Huddersfield, the leaders emphatically put paid to that.

A dreadful second half for the hosts was compounded by captain Antoni Sarcevic’s dismissal for a second yellow card - a foul on Ilias Bronkhorst.

Low’s fabulous strike was Jon McCracken’s first concession in 686 minutes - just under 11-and-a-half hours of football.

The team news provided talking points from both camps, with Henry Cartwright - having mustered barely a half of league football in three substitute appearances since signing for City in the summer - handed his maiden start at League One level in place of the suspended Callum Connolly.

Jake Beesley was given the nod up top, while last season’s derby hero in the shape of Bobby Pointon had to settle for a place on the bench.

Town restored Radinio Balker to the starting line-up, but it was Ibane Bowat who dropped to the bench and not Low, with Drury presuming believing that the former was better equipped to deal with City’s aerial threat from set-plays.

Town’s pre-match drills reaffirmed that very fact.

Low would have an impact that few envisaged early on to further justify Drury’s decision.

It was a brilliant opener, even if Duff would not have been particularly happy that City failed to clear their lines.

A long throw from Bronkhorst was half-cleared by Beesley. It came back into the box, with Aden Baldwin getting the first contact before Cam Humphreys picked up the loose ball and lobbed it back into the area.

The ball bounced after Baldwin attempted to clear again and Low showed splendid technique to fire home a fine overhead kick, with his effort far better than his subsequent somersault celebrations.

City’s response was stirring in a frenetic opening which saw three players booked. One arrived for Matt Young, with the Town keeper fortunate that Beesley was racing away from goal after he hurtled out of goal and caught him.

Young was forced into work to parry a low free-kick from Corey O’Keeffe at the last minute through a sea of bodies and grasped Baldwin’s rebound.

City kept at it and Will Swan glanced a first-time effort just wide following Jackson’s low centre from the right.

After a frenetic start and plenty of City pressure after the early concession, Town started to settle and play their counter-attacking football.

They struggled to create opportunities, despite hinting at things.

City had one more presentable chance ahead of the break with Matt Pennington’s effort deflected just wide following an excellent delivery from O’Keeffe, not for the first time.

Duff made a double change at the interval, bringing on Nick Powell and Adam Phillips in a formation tweak to 3-1-4-2.

Within a few minutes, the ex-Town chief was lamenting a critical moment.

City were caught on the break with a slip from O’Keeffe, with Taylor finding Fernandes, who slipped the ball under the legs of McCracken.

The City custodian was soon beaten away when Taylor rose at the back stick following Sean Roughan’s left-wing cross before seeing his header creep into the net.

It killed the game.

Town were loving it all of a sudden. One half-moment for City saw Baldwin drag a shot wide, while appeals for a Town penalty were rebuffed when Bali Mumba tumbled under pressure from McCracken.

Taylor, full of beans, soon fired into the side-netting.

Sarcevic saw red as home punters started to head for the exits with a tough day exacerbated by the sight of half-time substitute Adam Phillips hobbling off late on.

Bradford City: McCracken; Pennington, Baldwin, Pratt; O’Keeffe, Cartwright (Pointon 58), Sarcevic, Touray; Jackson (Powell HT), Swan (Phillips HT); Beesley (Lapslie 72). Substitutes unused: Dawson, Gillesphey, Morgan.

Huddersfield Town: Young; Bronkhorst, Balker (Gooch 92), Low, Roughan (Bowat 83); Fernandes (Tovide 92), Humphreys, Collins, Mumba (Sway 92); Taylor, Fletcher (Harness 78). Substitutes unused: Alnwick, Brierley.

Referee: L Doughty (Lancs)

Attendance: 23,776 (2,755 Huddersfield Town supporters).