Bradford City 2 Crewe 0: Mclean and Liddle on mark to boost City

However, the striker earned the praise of manager Phil Parkinson after he set the Bantams on the road to their first home League win since the opening day of the season, beating bottom club Crewe to end a run of four matches without a victory.

Mclean, who had a first-half shot blocked on the line by Anthony Grant, broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute, racing in front of goalkeeper Ben Garratt to turn Mark Yeates’s teasing left-wing cross into the net to give dominant City the lead they deserved.

Two minutes later, midfield player Gary Liddle put the result beyond doubt with his first goal since joining City from Notts County during the summer, scoring with a shot from the edge of the penalty area after Filipe Morais played the ball into his path from the by-line.

Parkinson said: “Aaron’s game is about being in the opposition penalty area and attacking the ball aggressively. Mark Yeates’s cross was a quality delivery and Aaron got on the end of it.

“These games are not easy because everyone expects us to win, but the players handled it really well and put in a good performance over 90 minutes.”

Parkinson also praised on-loan teenage goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who made a crucial save from George Cooper four minutes before Mclean broke the deadlock.

Bradford City: Pickford, Darby, Davies, McArdle, Sheehan, Morais (Bennett 83), Kennedy (Knott 59), Liddle, Yeates, Clarke, Mclean (|McBurnie 77). Unused substitutes: William, Meredith, Dolan, Routis.

Crewe Alexandra: Garratt, Tootle, Dugdale, Tate (Brandy 45), Ray, Atkinson (Turton 72m), Grant, Nolan (Waters 77), Leigh, Cooper, Haber. Unused substitutes: Shearer, Guthrie, Oliver, Ness.

Referee: D Deadman (Peterborough).

Man of the match: Mark Yeates.