Bradford City 1 Carlisle United 0: Jamie Walker's strike hands Bantams a precious advantage on a tense, tight occasion

There was a collective sense of hurt after their previous play-off campaigns in the lower divisions in 2016-17 ended in disappointment. Neither want to sample that feeling again.

Given that both these clubs can justifiably consider themselves to be batting below their average in League Two, there is a real yearning and hunger to be the last team standing in just under a fortnight’s time at Wembley.

A second 20,000-plus crowd in the space of a week - with an attendance of 20,575 being a record for a fourth-tier semi-final leg - confirmed that from a City perspective.

A sell-out away end of 2,415 visiting Cumbrians in the Midland Road Stand was a further indicator should anyone have required it.

Here, first-leg honours went to the Bantams - just about - on an evening which got more tense for home patrons as the minutes ticked on.

But there was encouragement for the Cumbrians in defeat, ahead of the key second leg at Brunton Park on Saturday.

At the end of last season, Jamie Walker's permanent signing represented an early summer gift for City.

Twelve months on and the silky Scot provided a further gift after giving the hosts a precious, but slender, advantage.

A cigarette paper separated these two sides in the table, with identical records after 46 goals and split on goal difference alone.

Their two league games in the regular season produced just one goal. It always looked a tie of fine margins and Sunday's events reiterated that, with City having the better of the first period, but Carlisle being much the stronger on the restart.

A wall of claret-and-amber noise greeted home players ahead of kick-off and City’s players were quick to harness that energy early on.

Their start was brisk, purposeful and front foot, led by the directness of Scott Banks, while Walker possessed the cunning.

That axis would result in an opener which was pretty well merited.

Carlisle’s most potent weapon was unquestionably their expert set-piece conjurer in the shape of Owen Moxon.

A first moment of danger from the right ended with Ben Barclay, amid heavy traffic in the box, unable to get enough purchase on a header when well placed.

A well-flighted corner later on in the half saw Jack Armer go close before Corey Whelan headed off target from a swinging Moxon free-kick.

As far as City were concerned, Carlisle’s rearguard were somewhat nervy - without the presence of the injured Morgan Feeney, who excelled in the league fixture at BD8 with his battle with Andy Cook worth the admission money alone.

His absence would be keenly felt on 18 minutes, at a time when Carlisle were starting to find encouragement at the other end.

Joe Garner’s well-executed strike had clipped the top of the bar, with the whistle having already blown following a handball by the veteran striker. What followed had more painful consequences for the Cumbrians.

The United defence were caught flat-footed from Harry Lewis’s punt forward. Alex Gilliead and Cook won the head tennis before Banks cleverly steered the ball around the corner into the path of the untracked Walker and his finish was low and unerring.

Walker, drifting in those corridors of uncertainty in front of the defence and troubling Carlisle with his movement, went close to another, firing inches wide from a tight angle.

The sight of the forward going down in distress just before the break was rather less edifying.

He shrugged it off and the half ended with more City opportunism, with Banks breaking and seeing his toe-poked shot held by Tomas Holy.

It was advantage Bradford at the break, albeit with an inescapable feeling among both sets of supporters that the next goal might just be a crucial one in the complexion of the tie.

On the resumption, bonafide chances of note were hard to come by. But Carlisle always had hope with Moxon.

An inswinging corner found Whelan in a congested box. Lewis gathered before United went desperately close to levelling.

Romoney Crichlow was rumbled by Ryan Edmondson in attempting to shield the ball out of play close to the byline.

The ex-Leeds forward sensed opportunity and saw his low cross-shot flash across goal with Armer, following up on the left, firing into the side-netting.

The Bantams were requiring some respite in truth and pushing their luck. Carlisle were undeterred with the stretching Edmondson soon heading wastefully over following a pinpoint Armer cross from the left.

Fellow substitute Kristian Dennis was off beam with a late chance before the relief of the final whistle for City.

Bradford City: Lewis; Halliday, Stubbs, Crichlow, Ridehalgh, Gilliead, Clayton (Derbyshire 88), Smallwood, Banks (Platt 88), Walker (Osadebe 65), Cook. Substitutes unused: Doyle, East, Pereira, Nevers.

Carlisle United: Holy; Barclay, Huntington, Whelan; Senior (Gibson 85), Guy (Charters 69), Moxon, McCalmont, Armer; Garner (Edmondson 58), Patrick (Dennis 58). Substitutes unused: Kelly, Harris, Robinson.

Referee: R Joyce (Cleveland).