Bradford City goalkeeper Harry Lewis 'disappointed' despite derby win over Harrogate Town

The 24-year-old denied Luke Armstrong twice and Alex Pattison before half-time, then acrobatically kept out a Jack Muldoon strike in the second period, a couple of those stops falling firmly into the ‘excellent’ category.

But, either side of Andy Cook’s 14th-minute penalty and Tyreik Wright’s 73rd-minute winner, Lewis was beaten by Jaheim Headley’s edge-of-the-box equaliser.

The Harrogate left-back unleashed a scorching effort, although City’s former Southampton custodian wasn’t happy about failing to keep the ball out at his near post.

“I’m big enough to say I’m unhappy with the goal,” he reflected. “The ball has gone in at the near post. The lad has hit it quite hard, but at the end of the day, I’m disappointed.

“It’s not an area of the goal I want to be beaten in and I take full responsibility. Apologies to the lads, they’ve really dug me out of it today with the two goals we scored.

“I had a few bits and pieces to do and it’s up to me to focus on those rather than the goal that I’m disappointed in, but I think that’s human nature to be drawn towards the mistake. I don’t really want to call it a mistake, but it’s a moment where I could have done better.

“It’s about how you bounce back and there were a couple of saves later on that I was quite happy with, but at the end of the day I’m a team player and the most important thing was getting the three points.”

Saturday saw Bradford record their first League Two victory over Harrogate at the fifth attempt, having lost all four of the previous meetings between the teams.

And although Lewis admitted that the Bantams were probably fortunate to leave North Yorkshire with maximum points, he says that the result is “all that matters.”

He added: “It certainly wasn’t a vintage performance from us and we feel like we’ve robbed three points off them but it’s vital to keep picking up these wins.

“We spoke in the week about a bit of a hoodoo against these guys, so I know there‘s going to be a lot of people around the club who will be delighted with these three points.”

Saturday’s result lifts City up to fourth in the League Two standings and means that they are now unbeaten in seven league games.

By contrast, struggling Harrogate have now taken one point from the last 21 on offer and drop to 20th where they sit just two points clear of the drop zone.

Reflecting on his side’s seventh defeat in eight matches, Town boss Simon Weaver said: “The performance was an improvement again. We are getting better but it’s a tough school is League Two. Two mistakes, two goals and we have lost the game.

"I’d say we were on top for a large part of the game. We were thinking that we looked the more likely at 1-1.

"A point would have been a valuable one with the run we have been on, but at the same time we felt we were the team turning the screw.

“Bradford are one of the best and biggest teams in our league and it’s a shame to lose the game. We will start picking up points if we keep playing like that.”

Harrogate Town: Jameson, Ramsay, McArdle, Mattock, Headley, Austerfield, Pattison, Folarin (Coley 57), Daly, Muldoon, Armstrong. Unused substitutes: Oxley, Welch-Hayes, Falkingham, Burrell, Richards, Dooley.Bradford City: Lewis, Halliday, Platt, Crichlow-Noble, Foulds, Smallwood, Gilliead (Songo'o 79), Pereira (Sutton 59), Chapman (Angol 59), Wright, Cook (Oliver 80). Unused substitutes: Doyle, Odusina, Young.

Referee: Peter Wright (Merseyside).