Bradford City 1 Leyton Orient 1: Bantams put huge crowd through the mill but for once a draw is the right result

This season was meant to be about more than that, it was meant to about automatic promotion and it would have been put for all those two-points-dropped games on home territory.

But their season is still going, and for that they must be grateful after the dramas – particularly of the late variety – of the last few weeks. And if they can go up at Wembley on May 28, that will be all they care about.

After carelessly throwing things away against Gillingham and Crewe Alexandra, their fans will just be relieved to have held onto the point Brad Halliday's deflected equaliser gave them.

Following this team, though, nothing can be taken for granted.

They did their best to make it nervous for a crowd bigger than any the West Yorkshire witnessed for Premier League football.

They showed carelessness again to go behind and nervousness when they were level which they could do with stamping out in the play-offs, but at least they will have the chance.

Salford City's defeat meant they even moved up a place, setting up a semi-final with Carlisle United, the first leg at home on Sunday, the return on May 20.

With a 22,576 crowd in good voice either side of a respectfully-observed minute's silence for the victims of the 1985 Valley Parade Fire, the Bantams came out of the blocks quickly despite a slightly messy formation.

Adam Clayton came into the midfield with Alex Gillead and Jamie Walker, Walker and Andy Cook, Scott Banks and Walker doing various job shares.

Generally, though, Gillead was a third central midfielder, Walker flitting between the hole and first the right wing, then the left when Banks switched flanks. At times Cook tried to provide a bit of width but it made for a lop-sided shape.

It worked, though.

Cook headed against the crossbar in the sixth minute he he wheeled backwards at a corner, the encouragement the crowd needed early on.

Bradford found Walker with a quick free-kick midway through the half but he hit the side netting. Soon after Cook drilled a shot which forced Lawrence Vigouroux into a good save after the striker turned neatly onto a Banks pass.

All Leyton Orient offered in response was a deflected Idris El Mizouni shot and Shardrach Ogie's volley over.

But Bradford crucially lost concentration after Clayton threw himself in the way of a Kieran Sadlier cross and Romoney Crichlow put the ball behind for a corner.

The much-travelled midfielder needed treatment for a couple of minutes and City were slow to switch back on, George Moncur able to arrive in vast amounts of space at the back post. His shot was blocked but when Tom James played the ball back in, Jordan Brown was able to find the net.

"That's why we're champions" sang the Orient fans. And why Bradford are not.

But they showed their character to get back into the game just two minutes later, Halliday's volley taking a big deflection and finding the net with 43 minutes gone.

Orient started the second half the stronger and Bradford had not learnt from the goal they conceded, again leaving Moncur in far too much space at a corner again, only to be spared by a woeful shot.

James and Drinan had shots blocked and Ogbie volleyed wide.

But attacking The Kop in the second half, Bradford got all the encouragement they needed whenever they got close, especially when Liam Ridehalgh forced a save after responding to the pleas to shoot.

For a team with nothing to play for, the Os refused to lie down, though, substitute Theo Archibald going down the other end and forcing an unconvincing save from Harry Lewis.

By then Mark Hughes had switched to a diamond formation but as they struggled to make headway it became as much about scores elsewhere - and holding on.

They did. Roll on the play-offs.

Bradford City: Lewis; Halliday, Stubbs, Crichlow, Ridehalgh; Clayton (Derbyshire 63), Smallwood, Gilliead; Banks (East 75), Cook, Walker (Osadebe 75).

Unused substitutes: Doyle, Platt, Pereira, Nevers.

Leyton Orient: Vigouroux; James (Sweeney 62), Beckles, Ogie, Hunt; Brown, El Mizouni (Clay 74); Smyth, Moncur, Sadlier (Archibald 62); Drinan (Kelman 62).

Unused substitutes: Happe, Sotiriou, Byrne.

Referee: G Eltringham (County Durham).