BRADFORD CITY AFC

Just four days on from the first team's victory over Vale in Sky Bet League One, the second-string encounter with the Valiants was played on the same Vale Park pitch.

Young professionals Joe Cracknell, Daniel Devine, James King, Ellis Hudson and Jacob Hanson all featured, along with loan duo Kevin Toner and Matthew Penney.

A deflected effort on the stroke of half time gave City the lead, with the Bantams making the game safe in the second period thanks to a Hudson penalty.

Vale forward Sam Kelly tested Cracknell with an early drive but it was City who perhaps looked slightly more comfortable out of the two sides as the first period wore on.

Former QPR winger Andreas Komodikis fired at Vale goalkeeper Deniz Mehmet midway through the half. 

The home shot-stopper was then tested further when he was forced to tip over a Devine header from Hudson's near post corner just past the half hour mark.

At the other end, Cracknell had to play it safe and make a save of his own from a wide free-kick delivery by home winger Axel Prohouly.

Just as the game looked to be heading into the break goalless, City broke the deadlock with the last attack of the half.

Hudson's quickly taken free-kick found Penney in space in the box. The left back drilled across goal on the half-volley and the ball appeared to deflect in off Ville Moilanen and a Vale defender.

Buoyed by that late intervention, City would go on to dominate the second period.

A driving run into the box from Devine towards the start of the half saw the ball land at the feet of Moilanen and his low angled drive across goal flashed past the far post.

Curtis Peters was the next to test the Vale defence less than a minute later, the midfielder working his way into the area before firing in a rising drive from an angle that had to be pushed away by Mehmet.

Vale's only real opening after the restart came roughly ten minutes into the half. 

Valiants forward Dan Turner eventually got away from the advances of both James King and Kevin Toner but his low drive from the edge of the box was straight at Cracknell.

As City maintain their control on proceedings, Moilanen fed Devine into plenty of space deep inside Vale territory with a well-timed pass that beat the hosts' offside trap. 

Devine tried to play the ball across to an unmarked Hudson in the box but Luke Dennis was crucially on hand to make a vital interception.

The danger wasn't over for Vale as Moilanen arrived on the loose ball just seconds later, and the attacker curled narrowly wide with strike from the edge of the box.

City deservedly scored again less than twenty minutes from the end when Komodikis was felled in the box by Vale substitute Gezim Shalaj. 

Hudson took responsibility for the kick, sending Mehmet the wrong way to double the Bantams' advantage.

Shortly afterwards, Mehmet had to dive to his right to deny Moilanen after the City forward had hooked the ball goalwards from Penney's left wing cross.

With City looking comfortable in the game's latter stages, they introduced apprentices Niah Payne and Kwame Boateng into the action from the substitutes' bench. 

The Bantams could have made the scoreline look even more impressive deep into injury time but Mehmet denied Komodikis from a one-on-one situation.

1. Joe Cracknell

2. Jacob Hanson

3. Matthew Penney
4. Daniel Pybus
5. Kevin Toner 
6. James King
7. Andreas Komodikis
8. Daniel Devine
9. Ville Moilanen
10. Curtis Peters
11. Ellis Hudson

12. George Sykes-Kenworthy (GK)
14. Tom Windle
15. Niah Payne
16. Kwame Boateng
17. Sam Wright

Payne for Moilanen (79), Boateng for Peters (86)