It ends level at Vale Park with James Wilson's opener not enough to take the three points
A lunchtime kick-off at Vale Park in front of the Sky Sports cameras. It was the Bantams who started the strongest with former Valiant Theo Robinson having the first opportunity. He was received a through ball into the area and hit a shot low but straight at Lucas Covolan who comfortably saved on 14 minutes.
The visitors have had a mixed beginning to the campaign and started the game in 12th but they really put the Valiants under pressure. Charles Vernam had a header on goal 17 minutes in which looped into the air and was caught by Covolan.
But the Valiants were in fine form in front of goal, scoring ten goals in their last two games. Wilson had our first opportunity when he cut in from the right and ran down the edge of the area and tried a curling effort but it went wide of the far post 19 minutes in.
Four minutes later James Gibbons went in search of his second league goal as he struck a shot from 20-yards following a Dan Jones throw which stung the palms of Richard O’Donnell and went out of play for a corner.
We inched closer to an opener on 33 minutes with Tom Conlon striking a shot from a similar position to Gibbons. Yet again O’Donnell was equal to it, pushing it away for a corner. In the last minute of normal time Vernam picked the ball up after some slack defending from the Valiants, he had space and time to set his sights but his effort from 18-yards went well wide of Covolan’s goal.
The second-half started slowly but the Valiants had more of the ball in the early stages. And on 56 minutes we made that possession count with the opening goal thanks to work from Wilson and David Amoo.
All the hard work was done by Amoo running at three Bradford defenders, he was dispossessed in the area but the loose ball fell to Wilson who had his initial shot saved but managed to tap the rebound home. The game went flat after the opener until the 74th minute when Bradford equalised through substitute Lee Angol. A high ball was sent into the box and Angol headed it into the net.
A big chance for George Lloyd with six minutes left to play, he timed his run perfectly into the area and got past his man but his effort went just wide of the post. Six minutes were added on but neither side cut create a clear-cut chance as the game ended one a piece.
Port Vale | Covolan, Gibbons, Jones, Smith, Worrall, Garrity (62’ Taylor), Wilson (64’ Lloyd), Conlon, Amoo (62’ Rodney), Pett, Cass
Subs not used | Stone, Benning, Martin, Politic
Bradford City | O’Donnell, Threlkeld (46’ Ridehalgh), O’Connor, Canavan, Songo’o (62’ Cooke), Gilliead, Foulds, Vernam, Watt, Robinson (62’ Angol), Sutton
Subs not used | Hornby, Eisa, Kelleher, Evans