Parkinson delight as Davies gets off mark

Hosts Bradford had to come from behind to win, with leading scorer James Hanson first levelling before substitute Davies struck deep into second half istoppage-time.

Jamille Matt gave Fleetwood the lead before the hour mark, but it lasted only eight minutes and they remain in the drop zone.

Davies’s goal was his first for the club and Parkinson said: “He needed that lift.

“If you document his time here, he came in first day of pre-season, did his Achilles, came back into the team, damaged his medial ligament; he’s hit the post, the bar, had ‘goals’ disallowed. He was due something. I’m really pleased for him.”

Amid a combination of wind, light snow, and rain, there were only a sprinkling of chances in the first half.

Matt then rose above a crowd to head home only for Hanson to follow suit from Billy Knott’s supply.

Bradford’s first chance for a late winner came as Tony McMahon’s free-kick was spilled by Chris Maxwell, with Knott ballooning over. However, they succeeded deep into stoppage-time as Davies tapped in after an initial shot by new signing Wes Thomas was knocked onto the bar.

“It was a magnificient win, a very important win. We were dogged. We stuck at it. It’s amazing what a team of players with big hearts can do for you,” added Parkinson.

Bradford City: Williams, Darby, McArdle, Nathan Clarke, Meredith, McMahon, Knott, Routis (Thomas 46), Morris (Reid 57), Marshall (Davies 89), Hanson. Unused substitutes: Liddle, Leigh, Cracknell, Webb-Foster.

Fleetwood Town: Maxwell, McLaughlin, Pond, Davis, Bell, Ryan, Jonsson, Sarcevic, Kiwomya (Nirennold 90), Matt, Henen (Grant 76). Unused substitutes: Hornby-Forbes, Deacon, Hunter, Haughton, Gogic.

Referee: K Wright (Cambridgeshire).

Man of the match: Jimmy Ryan.