Bradford City 1 Swindon Town 0: Calum Kavanagh's goal enough to bring an end to winless League Two run

Graham Alexander’s side had gone six games without a win in the league, a streak that spanned nearly two months.

The run was not ended with much panache but a first-half goal from Calum Kavanagh gave the Bantams a much-needed three points.

The desperation for points in the Bantams camp was evident early on and although quality was lacking, intent was certainly not.

There was promise in their build-ups but precision in the final third was in short supply. Wayward passes were painfully plentiful, bringing promising moves to abrupt ends.

Swindon’s desire for directness was clear but they were guilty of trying to force the issue, with little rhythm or patience in their ventures forward.

With quality at a premium, it appeared likely a mistake would be required to edge someone ahead in West Yorkshire.

Swindon stopper Daniel Barden was the man to make it, spilling a fairly tame Kavanagh shot and allowing the frontman a second bite of the cherry.

He made no mistake from close-range, lashing home to open his account in League Two this season.

Those hoping the opener would breathe life into the first half were left disappointed, although control was very much held by the hosts.

Bradford were incentivised to attack by Swindon’s shaky defensive set-up, which looked close to crumbling when the slightest bit of pressure was applied.

Regardless, the Robins managed to head into the half-time break with only a one-goal deficit to overturn.

Swindon remained stagnant after emerging for the second half, giving their sparse away end little to cheer about. Killing off the Robins with a second goal, however, proved difficult.

Alexander was forced to shuffle his pack too, losing Jay Benn and Corry Evans to injuries.

Personnel changes did not alter the landscape of the game, as it remained plagued by an absence of attacking inspiration.

There was a brief flicker from Bobby Pointon, who evaded a challenge with dancing feet before firing wide from a tight angle.

A late rally from the lacklustre visitors failed to materialise and it was the Bantams who looked most likely to score.

Pointon had a cross hooked off the line and it was as close as the hosts came to making their lead more comfortable.