A cold, dull but dry afternoon awaited the Rovers on their post Christmas visit to Bradford. The Rovers want to keep their recent unbeaten run going and build on their excellent win over the League leaders last Saturday. However, they are minus their two loan signings, Brian Stock and Theo Streete, who scored the winning goal against Nottingham Forest. Both returned to their clubs after the Forest game. Injuries have also taken their toll, with Jason Price out, Steve Roberts still recovering along with Sean McDaid, Kevin Horlock and Alan Blayney. This has necessitated the Youth team captain, Matt Noble, being brought in on the substitutes bench. The Rovers turned out in their all-blue away strip against the maroon and yellow of the home team and defended the end where their supporters were sat.

The Rovers set the ball rolling and spent the first ten minutes in their opponents half keeping Ricketts, in the City goal, busy without having a serious chance at goal. On 10 minutes, Green and Coppinger combined to give Green a crack from 25 yards that took a deflection for a corner. The home defence cleared out to Johnson on their right. He took the ball on before crossing low across the face of goal for Graham to win a corner off a deflected shot. With 13 minutes on the clock, good work on the right by O'Connor resulted in a terrific cross for HEFFERNAN to steer into the net from close range and give the Rovers a deserved lead. The Rovers followed this up with two successive corners as they sought to to take total control. The home team had isolated forays into the Rovers half but their first really dangerous attack earned them a corner on their right after 21 minutes. The Rovers continued to have most of the play over the ensuing minutes as they bossed the midfield. Johnson, for Bradford, looked dangerous on the few occasions he received the ball but Gareth Roberts marshalled him well. Past the half hour and a corner to the Rovers didn't produce any end result. Then. on 36 minutes, a sweeping movement down the pitch by Rovers when Wilson put Roberts away down the left and putting a low cross into the middle for the onrushing Forte to blaze over the bar from about ten yards from the best chance since the goal. It was 44 minutes before the home side broke the Rovers dominance and put in a meaningful attack on the Rovers goal. It was Johnson, on the Bradford right, who caused problems, won a corner, which Gareth Roberts managed to get away on the post as the City players closed in. The break came with the Rovers leading by the single goal.

The home team started well in the second half but the Rovers were soon into their stride. Five minutes in and Forte, on the Rovers left, got away before putting a cross in that Coppinger, on the near post side, sidefooted just wide. The match was much more even than the first half at this stage, with the Bantams winning a couple of corners in as many minutes as they sought to get back on level terms. The home team were driving forward now with a definite purpose obviously buoyed up by some stinging words from Manager Colin Todd during the break. The Rovers defence, however, were up to the task of keeping them out. Onj 58 minutes, took a good ball from Forte and lobbed it first time goalwards but Ricketts anticipated and was able able to catch it comfortably. At the other end Windass was wide from a good position twenty yards out.  Forte then had a header to a Coppinger cross saved and Lee's header to a corner kick was saved by Ricketts. Minutes later and Johnson, for the home team, was well wide from twenty five yards and then Windass followed suit from the same distance. Five minutes later Windass had a good chance from the edge of the Rovers penalty area but put it high and wide. At the City end, Lockwood headed over from a corner on the Rovers right. As the last fifteen minutes came up the home team pushed hard for some reward from the game as the Rovers made a couple of substitutions. In the 90th minute, Windass played a 1-2 with Bridge-Wilkinson on the edge of the Rovers box before hitting a low shot for the bottom corner of the net but  Smith went full length to tip round a post. The fourth official indicated five minutes of added-on time and cheered on by a 10,000 crowd the home team battered away at the Rovers defence. A minute from the end a free kick from Bower hit the angle of the bar and post of the Rovers goal, bounced out and was cleared. On the final whistle blowing, it was the 1,600 Rovers fans who were doing the cheering. 

A well merited win based on a fine first half but the Bantams certainly made a game of it in the second half.  

Teams - Bradford City - Donovan Ricketts; Nathan Doyle, David Wetherall, Mark Bower, Steve Schumacher, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Jermaine Johnson, Matthew Clarke, Craig Bentham, Dean Windass, David Graham.

Subs used - Joe Brown for Graham 70 mins; John Swift for Bower 80 mins;

Subs not used - Ben Parker, Tom Penford, Russell Howarth gk

Cautions - Bower, Windass,

ROVERS - Ben Smith; James O'Connor, Adam Lockwood, Graeme Lee, Gareth Roberts; James Coppinger, Paul Green, Mark Wilson, Jonathan Forte; Mark McCammon, Paul Heffernan.

Subs used - Lewis Guy for Forte 84 mins; Sean Thornton for Coppinger 86 mins;

Subs not used - Bruce Dyer, Matt Noble, Jan Budtz gk