Bradford C 3 AFC Wimbledon 1: Bantams delighted to be back in Cup draw

Not since they were relegated from the Championship at the end of the 2003-04 season have City reached this staged of the FA Cup.

It puts them in good heart for an important week for the club starting with tomorrow’s Johnstones Paint Trophy Northern semi-final at Oldham and a crucial League match against fellow League Two strugglers Plymouth Argyle at Valley Parade on Saturday.

The only problem is that City will be without first-choice midfield players at Oldham, captain Michael Flynn, who is suspended after picking up his fifth booking and on-loan Ricky Ravenhill, who is cup tied.

The performance delighted manager Phil Parkinson, who said: “It is great for us. It was a hard-working professional performance and I think we deserved to win.

“If you get crosses into the box like we did you are going to cause problems. We conceded a goal in the second half and I am never happy when we concede, but we scored again and that’s what I am pleased about.”

Parkinson had a special word of praise for striker James Hanson. He said: “Last week he worked his socks off in our 0-0 draw at Gillingham and he did the same today with some good play as well.”

The tall Hanson played a key role in City’s first goal after nine minutes, heading Craig Fagan’s cross down for fellow striker Ross Hannah to flick the ball over the head of goalkeeper Seb Brown.

City increased their lead when Ravenhill’s cross was turned into his own net by Chris Bush.

Wimbledon had the chance to pull a goal back after 23 minutes, but Luke Moore scuffed his shot wide of the far post and twice in three minutes Brown was called upon to save from Hannah and Kyel Reid as City continued to be good value for their lead.

Jack Midson pulled a goal back for the visitors five minutes after half-time, but Bradford restored their two-goal advantage after 70 minutes.

Substitute striker Nahki Well was upended by Wimbledon captain Jamie Stuart and Fagan scored from the penalty spot.

And, although McLaughlin made a point-blank save from Wellard, there were few problems as City won a second-round FA Cup tie since they beat Preston in the 1995-6 season.

Bradford City: McLaughlin, Ramsden, Oliver, Davies, Seip, Fagan (Dean 89), Flynn, Ravenhill, Reid (Compton 78), Hanson, Hannah (Wells 60). Unused substitutes: Duke, O’Brien, L Moore, Devitt.

AFC Wimbledon: Brown. Johnson, Stuart, Hatton (Minshull 77), Bush, Mulley, L Moore (Kiernan 83), S Moore, Wellard, Jolley (Ademeno 67), Midson. Unused substitutes: Turner, Gwillim, Porter. Yussuff.

Referee: N Miller (County Durham)

Man of the match: James Hanson.

Rotherham boss Andy Scott told BBC Radio Sheffield:

“The two goals that they’ve scored shouldn’t have been goals.

“We’ve spoken to the referee about it in the first half. He neglected to keep an eye on it. He was in a poor position. Conrad [Logan, keeper] couldn’t get a punch to it. He held his arm down.

“I thought we were poor, especially in the first half when we were 11 versus 11. We didn’t play with the intensity and the tempo we usually do. We played too deep as a back four and allowed them too many chances to get the ball in the box.”