Hopkin praises defensive grit after securing first Bradford City win

David Hopkin was beaming with joy after he finally tasted his first victory as Bradford City manager.

Hopkin’s side earned a slender but hard-fought 1-0 win away at AFC Wimbledon - their first league success since August 21.

After Jack Payne’s first-half penalty, City soaked up pressure from the hosts and defended stoutly.

The resilience of his players was particularly pleasing for Hopkin.

“We asked for a physical, defensive effort and I challenged the players at half-time to hold and take home the three points,” he said.

“We worked very hard and closed the game down superbly against a team who are hard to beat at home.

“It was a great result.

“It’s something they’ve deserved over the last three or four weeks and we were magnificent to a man defensively.”

City will now hope to take the result and performance into Saturday’s visit of high-flying Sunderland.