City are left looking over their shoulders

Parkinson said: “We came into the game in high spirits after taking four points from matches at Leyton Orient and Coventry, but we lacked energy in our performance and defensively we looked vulnerable which isn’t like us. It was too easy for them to score. They were first to the ball all over the pitch.”

The result cut the gap between City and the relegation zone from nine to six and Parkinson said: “It is very much in our own hands and we have a better goal difference than most, but I want to get more points on the board and finish in the top half of the table.”

The match was a triumph for 19-year-old striker Jonson Clarke-Harris, who scored two goals and made the other.

James Wesolowski gave Oldham the lead in the 22nd minute after the 19-year-old headed the ball into his path.

On-loan winger Adam Reach equalised after 35 minutes when a 30-yard pass from Matthew Dolan found him in the area, but Oldham restored their lead on the stroke of hal-time when Gary Harkins drifted in from the left before sliding the ball into the path of the unmarked Clarke-Harris.

Oldham scored a crucial third in the 58th minute when Clarke-Harris ran on to a long ball from Jonathan Grounds. Gary Jones pulled a goal back for Bradford in stoppage time with a low shot from the edge of the area.

Bradford City: McLaughlin, Darby, Davies, McArdle, Drury, Bennett (Thompson 64), Jones, Dolan, Reach, Stead (McBurnie 64), Mclean (Yeates 83). Unused substitutes: Barker, McHugh, Bates, Stockdill.

Oldham Athletic: Rachubka, Brown, Wilson, Lockwood, Grounds, Wesolowski, Smith, Philliskirk, Worrall (Dayton 89), Harkins, Clarke-Harris. Unused substitutes: Coleman, Gafaiti, Dunfield, McDonald, Winchester, Millar.

Referee: K Hill (Hertfordshire).

Man of the match: Jonson Clarke–Harris.