Joe Brown was guaranteed a red-hot phone on the journey home from the west coast.

The youngster counted at least nine missed calls and 15 texts on his mobile when he switched it back on after the game.

But that's the price of fame - and the 17-year-old wasn't complaining one bit.

Nor was he too upset by the prospect of turning up for college at 8am. After all, he had plenty to tell his mates.

Brown should lap up the moment as City's hero after breaking the deadlock at Christie Park with virtually the final touch of the game.

As extra-time loomed large - a dismal prospect with the temperature plunging well below freezing - Andrew Taylor hoisted a deep cross towards the penalty spot. Brown jumped with keeper Scott Davies and got above him to steer it home under the bar.

He was immediately swallowed up by a sea of silver shirts in front of the jubilant away fans. And within seconds, referee Mike Pike's whistle had confirmed the most dramatic of victories.

Brown had come on as a late substitute for the disappointing Steve Claridge but wasted no time making his mark. Straight into the action, he seized on an awful back pass from centre half Darran Kempson and slid into keeper Ryan Robinson - who had to be stretchered off.

His replacement Davies, like Brown, was also making his bow in senior football but his memories will not be quite so special.

The Morecambe fans were cursing "robbery" and defeat was harsh on the Conference side, who gave as good as they got. They don't lose very often at home and it's easy to see why.

The Shrimps made their intentions clear from the opening minute when Danny Carlton forced a low save from Russell Howarth.

Luckily for City, Howarth was in fine form throughout and struck a far more confident figure than a few weeks back before he was benched for Donovan Ricketts. Three times in the first half he came to the rescue with important blocks - the best of the bunch a.diving effort to his right to push away a Wayne Curtis drive that was sneaking towards the bottom corner.

As promised, Colin Todd had rung the changes from Huddersfield but it was still a line-up full of experience. And yet they struggled to get to grips with the eager non-leaguers, who were roared on by a vociferous support.

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, operating in the middle alongside Tom Kearney, tried his best to get City going with a shoot-on-sight policy. And he forced a tumbling save from Robinson from a viciously skidding free-kick.

But otherwise, there was little to unsettle the home defence, with wingers Bobby Petta and Owen Morrison completely anonymous on the flanks.

By the 41st minute, Todd had seen enough and removed both of them - a very public sign of his dissatisfaction. On came Ben Muirhead and Lewis Emanuel and City's shape improved straight away.

Morecambe again threatened just before the break when Carlton broke the offside trap and set up Curtis from 12 yards but Damion Stewart, deputising for David Wetherall at centre half, slid in with a goal-saving block.

City emerged five minutes early for the second period, another indication of Todd's thoughts on the performance, and restarted with all guns blazing.

Morecambe somehow escaped an almighty scramble after 49 minutes when Robinson produced an athletic one-handed save from Claridge despite being on the floor. It still looked like Muirhead would ram home the loose ball but right back Keiron Walmsley managed to hook it off the line.

For a while, City had the edge but Morecambe hit back again and Carlton should have hit the target after the referee waved advantage following a foul on fellow striker Michael Twiss.

Then Howarth again foiled the home side when he batted away a fierce volley from substitute Lee Dodgson and an extra 30 minutes looked on the cards.

But Todd had one final card to play and took off Claridge for a youth-team prospect less than half his age. What an inspired move that proved to be.

TELEGRAPH & ARGUS 

MORECAMBE			BRADFORD CITY
Ryan Robinson	1	13	Russell Howarth
Dave Perkins	3	2	Darren Holloway
Michael Howard	4	4	Tom Kearney
Jim Bentley	5	6	Mark Bower
Michael Twiss	7	8	Marc Bridge-Wilkinson
Wayne Curtis	9	9	Andy Cooke
Garry Thompson	11	11	Owen Morrison
Darran Kempson	12	17	Bobby Petta
Danny Carlton	15	22	Damion Stewart
Keiron Walmsley	23	3	Andrew Taylor
Ged Brannan	25	24	Steve Claridge
	subs	subs
Jimmy Kelly	6	7	Steven Schumacher
Michael Stringfellow	8	15	Ben Muirhead
Lee Dodgson	16	16	Lewis Emanuel
Paul Lloyd	18	26	John Swift
Scott Davies	13	27	Joe Brown

MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee:	M Pike
Assistant Referee:	D Roberts
Assistant Referee:	G Stott
4th Official:	M Matadar

SUBSTITUTES
MORECAMBE	min		min	BRADFORD CITY
16 for 9	69		42	16 for 17
13 for 1	83		42	15 for 11
			82	27 for 24

GOAL SCORERS
MORECAMBE	min		min	BRADFORD CITY
			90	Brown

DISCIPLINARY
MORECAMBE	min		min	BRADFORD CITY
Dodgson	79		90	Brown