Bradford 2 Fleetwood 2: City boss wary of season ‘drifting to nothing’

Manager Phil Parkinson was left frustrated after seeing City throw away a two-goal lead against rivals Fleetwood by conceding two late goals, the equaliser coming in the second minute of stoppage time.

Their third consecutive draw leaves them five points adrift of the top six, although they have games in hand.

Conceding costly stoppage-time goals has become a bad habit for Bradford and Parkinson said: “We have to show more resolve than we showed (on Saturday).”

He refused to blame fatigue from a demanding fixture schedule following City’s impressive 
FA Cup run and said: “I have to have a good think about things and sit down with the players.

“Reputations can be made or broken in these last 10 games and there is no way I want this season to drift into nothing.”

Bradford went in front after 11 minutes, when Chris Maxwell failed to hold Billy Clarke’s cross and Jon Stead scored from the rebound.

They added a second in the 51st minute when James Hanson crossed for French midfield player Christopher Routis to squeeze the ball into the net.

Fleetwood pulled a goal back in the 85th minute, Jamie Proctor heading home from Tyler Hornby-Forbes’s cross and they equalised through Nathan Pond following a goalmouth scramble.

Bradford City: Williams, Darby, MacKenzie, McArdle, Meredith, Routis (Dolan 79), Liddle, Clarke, Yeates (Halliday 72), Hanson, Stead (Zoko 81). Unused substitutes: Alnwick, Sheehan, Knott, Mottley-Henry.

Fleetwood Town: Maxwell, McLaughlin, Roberts, Pond, Chicksen (Ball 66), Morris, Murdoch (Sarcevic 55), Schumacher, Dobbie (Hunter 82), Hornby-Forbes, Proctor. Unused substitutes: Moore, Evans, McAlinden, Crainey.

Referee: S Martin (Staffordshire).

Man of the match: Billy Clarke.