Port Vale 2 Bradford City 1: Bantams surrender to Vale's fightback

The Bantams had won on their previous four visits to Burslem without conceding a goal, but Peter Taylor's men rarely looked likely to extend that run as they were outfought and outplayed.

Unchanged Bantams got off to a sluggish start and almost fell behind in the fifth minute when John McCombe's through ball caught the City defence napping but Marc Richards's lob went inches wide of Matt Glennon's right-hand post.

The scare woke Bradford up and they took the lead with a brilliant 25-yard free-kick by Robbie Threlfall in the 12th minute. Luke O'Brien was tripped by Anthony Griffith, setting up Threlfall to curl a venomous strike into the top corner of goalkeeper Joe Anyon's net.

An entertaining contest was now being played at a hectic pace and Richards somehow failed to equalise three minutes later when a low cross found him unmarked at the far post, but he fired straight at a grateful Glennon.

Vale continued to enjoy territorial advantage for the remainder of the first half and Taylor replaced O'Brien with Omar Daley at the break in an attempt to pep up his troops.

But Vale drew level just five minutes after the restart when Rob Taylor sent over a low cross from the left wing to set up Richards with a finish into an empty net.

And the pressure intensified before Taylor sent a dipping volley over the stranded Glennon 11 minutes from time.

Port Vale: Anyon, Yates (Kris Taylor 46), McCombe, Owen, Collins, Haldane, Griffith, Fraser, Rob Taylor, Davies (Rigg 77), Richards. Unused substitutes: Martin, Loft, Dodds, Richman, Moray.

Bradford City: Glennon, Ramsden, Williams, Clarke, Threlfall, Bullock, Flynn, Bolder (Boulding 83), O'Brien (Daley 46), Hanson, Evans (McCammon 77). Unused substitutes: McLaughlin, Bateson, O'Leary, Oliver.

Referee: N Swarbrick (Lancashire).