Why Alex Gilliead is confident that Bradford City can achieve automatic promotion in League Two

Such factors help to explain why Alex Gilliead and his Bantams team-mates are certainly not going to give up on automatic promotion at this stage, even if the odds got slightly longer on Tuesday evening.

Fifth-placed City, who are inactive this weekend, were stymied in a goalless stalemate with Carlisle United, who moved up into third place, coincidentally.

Mark Hughes's side have lost just once in their past 13 matches, but a plethora of draws in that run - seven in total - has checked their top-three push.

With nine games to go, there is still a sliver of hope if City can continue their stinginess at the back, 25-goal Cook maintains his recent purple patch in front of goal and others start chipping in with the odd contribution in the scoring stakes.

Gilliead said: "The expectation from the fans and everyone in the club is that we need to get out of this league.

"We all know Bradford is a massive club in League One, never mind League Two and a Championship club.

"We are in a great position now with nine games to go and there's nothing to say we can't win all nine and go on a great run.

"Andy is scoring for fun up front and can win us any game. With nine games, there's nothing stopping us getting nine wins.

"With the squad we have got and the gaffer and Glyn (Hodges), we have got good coaches and players and feel like we can do it. We are up there and other seasons have gone by and petered out.

"Last year, I think we finished mid-table. It's good to be where we are at the minute and we know what we need to do."

Fine margins going your way certainly helps at this time of year and while the sight of Cook's second-half effort deflecting onto the bar was frustrating in a finely-poised midweek game with a rival, events at the end could be even more important in the context of this season.

The final kick of the game from ex-City player Jordan Gibson saw him hit the post, instead of finding the net. It was a piece of luck that every aspiring side needs at this stage of proceedings.

Gilliead, who had a fine game against one of his former clubs in Carlisle, added: "I thought he was going to keep going and driving in with it and then he hit it. I think everyone's heart was in their mouth in the stadium.

"You need that bit of luck at this stage of a season and we certainly had it in the last second.

"With Andy's, they have had a bit of luck as well. It kind of evened itself out.

"It's one of those where they could have been going home with three points, having nicked it at the end.

"It could be massive, you never know going into the last nine games."

A night which saw both sides hit the woodwork once conveyed the impression of a finely-poised contest where a draw was perhaps just about right.

The fact that it could be a dress rehearsal for a possible play-off meeting was not lost upon several sage observers – should both have to make do with a place in the end-of-season lottery.

Gilliead added: "We were talking about it just after and some of the lads were saying it felt kind of like two teams going for automatics or a play-off semi-final.

"It was cagey at times, but they are a good team and up there for a reason.”