James Hanson denies Bradford City but Gary Bowyer remains upbeat

But the Bantams battled hard for a welcome point on the road.

James Vaughan put the visitors on course for victory with a clinical 53rd-minute headed goal.

But it was James Hanson, who played seven years for Bradford, who bagged the equaliser 13 minutes later, also heading home.

“It’s a pleasing point because I’ve learned a lot about the group, but the weather was not really conducive to the style of football we wanted to play,” said Bowyer.

“We knew we’d get tested here in terms of what we would come up against, and then the conditions. It was very windy, which defeated the object of how we intended to play a little bit, which is disappointing.

“We felt, by half-time, we had not really imposed ourselves on the game as much as we could have. We had to adapt a little bit in the second half and, for large parts, we handled the conditions very well.”

After a goalless draw at home to Cambridge United on the opening day, Bowyer is confident goals will come.

“Our goal was really well crafted. It was a fantastic run from Adam Henley who did well to find Jordan Gibson. It was a great cross and a great header. Sean Scannell came on and whipped a few crosses into the box. We had another couple of opportunities and, in the end, it was one of them where we almost nearly nicked it.

“We came forward and attacked very well, at times. We have come through showing some very positive signs.”

Grimsby Town: McKeown, Hewitt, Ohman (Pollock 79), Davis, Hendrie, Clifton, Hessenthaler, Whitehouse, Green, Hanson, Rose (Ogbu 22). Unused substitutes: Cook, Vernam, Wright, Ring, Russell.

Bradford City: O’Donnell, Mellor, O’Connor, Richards-Everton, Henley, Anderson (Devine 70), Palmer, Gibson, Doyle (Scannell 62), Vaughan, Donaldson. Unused substitutes: Longridge, O’Connor, Hornby, French, Wood.

Referee: B Toner (Lancashire).