Bradford City 1 Cambridge United 2: Mood swings at Valley Parade as Bantams rescue a point, then throw it away
The grumbles were just starting at Valley Parade when Graham Alexander's substitutions got them back into their game against Cambridge United. But by full-time it was the 504 visiting fans bouncing up and down in celebration at a 2-1 win and the home fans well and truly back in the dumps.
Trailing 1-0, the Bantams were starting to labour when their manager turned to his bench in the 74th minute.
Having recently introduced Nick Powell to give more support to centre-forward Jake Beesley, he now brought on Kayden Jackson for Macauley Gillsphey, and swapped Beesley for Will Swann.
Within two minutes, his side were level, Powell heading against the crossbar and Bobby Pointon following up.
If it looked like the decisive moment of the match it was only a temporary reprieve with Cambridge substitutes Louis Appere and Ben Knight combining to burst Bradford's balloon with an 88th-minute winner that condemned the hosts to back-to-back defeats.
As at Sheffield Wednesday, the Bantams’ opponents had the better of the early stages, without doing much to trouble Jon McCracken.
Cambridge's best chance came just three minutes in, Liam Bennett surging through from right wing-back but his shot ping-ponged around before going out for a corner.
But once Bradford got a foothold midway through the first half, they went on to dominate the first 45 minutes and ought to have taken the lead. In the final analysis, their failure to do so was costly.
Ibou Touray – whose wing-back place is under pressure now after the deadline-day signing of Corey O'Keefe from Barnsley less than half-an-hour before kick-off – had a shot from 25 yards deflect wide, and Jake Eastwood tipped over Beesley's cross from a Bobby Pointon cross.
A minute later the goalkeeper denied him again when Beesley was played through one-on-one after Tom Bradshaw failed to deal with a McCracken long ball.
Beesley had no one to blame but himself in the 39th minute when he dithered trying to get a left-wing centre out of his feet and the chance went begging.
Sullay Kaikai had a shot deflected wide at the other end, but by that stage it was a rare bit of action at the Kop end.
The Bantams hit the woodwork in the 45th minute but there would have been an element of fortunate had it gone in, Adam Phillips overhitting a cross which a panicking Eastwood bundled onto his upright.
Cambridge came out better for the second half and got their reward with an ugly goal for the home side to concede.
McCracken got away with a bit of doziness when he picked Kaikai out from a 48th-minute free-kick but the forward failed to pick his spot.
Phillips almost gave Bradford the lead, watching the ball drop out of the air but seeing his volley take a deflection wide.
A minute later, Cambridge went in front, an Eastwood goal-kick allowed to travel all the way through to Kaikai, who outmuscled Reece Welch to score.
After Welch shot over from a wide position, Alexander moved Touray from wing-back to central defence and went 3-1-4-2. The result changed the mood of a 18,098 crowd that had just started to get restless.
But it would not last long, Appere playing the ball in from the left for Knight to bring it back across Callum Connolly and neatly finish.
There were boos at the full-time whistle on a frustrating night for a side whose very early-season momentum has deserted them.
Bradford City: McCracken; Welch, Baldwin, Gillesphey (Jackson 74); Neufville, Sarcevic, Connolly, Touray; Phillips (Powell 65), Pointon; Beesley (Swan 74).
Unused substitutes: Dawson, Pratt, Cartwright, Pennington.
Cambridge United: Eastwood; Heffernan, Perry, Watts; Bennett, Ball, Moxon (Lavery 81), Bradshaw; Bangura-Williams (Mpanzu 62), Kaikai (Knight 74); Ahadme (Appere 62).
Unused substitutes: Heath, Hughes, McConnell.
Referee: S Oldham (Lancashire).