Welcome to squeaky bum time, as Sir Alex Ferguson likes to call the business end of the season.

The final 12 games will be no place for the faint of heart. So hold on to your hats, and a lot more besides.

If Saturday is anything to go by, it promises to be the tensest run-in for City since they won promotion to the Premiership eight years ago.

Only this time, the goal at the end is to avoid the unthinkable drop back to a basement division they have not seen for a quarter of a century.

City are still clinging on desperately above the drop zone. But only thanks to a nerveless penalty from Steve Schumacher three minutes from the end of normal time.

It was the least the home side deserved having banged on the Brentford door constantly throughout a hugely one-sided second half. But don't anyone question the midfielder's bottle, given what was at stake.

For Brentford, it was a painful case of deja vu after Marc Bridge-Wilkinson robbed them of victory on their last visit 13 months ago with a late spot-kick. And most fans, watching through their fingers, would have banked on the City vice-captain stepping up to do the honours once again.

Instead it was his midfield partner Schumacher who eagerly grabbed the ball as the Carlberg Stand supporters behind the goal didn't dare to breathe.

Those who saw him smash one home in the penalty shoot-out at Carlisle knew what Schumacher was capable of but it was still a big ask. And arguably the most important kick of his three-year Bantams career.

"We had a chat about it on the training ground before the Crewe game," said David Wetherall. "My attitude to penalties is that whoever fancies it, should take it and Schuey was the first to step forward and volunteer."

In the cold light of day, a draw in City's position was not really enough. But at least they had found the net again - for only the fourth time since Dean Windass headed east along the M62 - and had gained some revenge for Crewe pinching the points in virtually the same minute a week earlier.

Wetherall showed his faith in that performance by naming an unchanged side. His anticipated return was only as far as the bench and that was because Matt Clarke was suffering with a stiff back.

The line-up revealed the caretaker-gaffer's confidence in the likes of Simon Ainge and Joe Colbeck to perform again - which they duly did. In fact, there was very little to fault from the whole side.

It was a display that Wetherall had hoped for. All that was missing was the goals to show for it.

By my reckoning, it was 23rd shot lucky when Schumacher's 12-yard blast gave Brentford keeper Nathan Abbey no chance. But it sparked a tidal wave of relief for supporters who knew that Windass had opened his scoring account for Hull and must have been wondering: If only ..

But the fans left the Intersonic Stadium cheered by the positive response from their side after the sickener of conceding a penalty straight after half-time.

City, once again playing with that tempo that the new broom is demanding, had enjoyed good chances in the opening 45 minutes.

The build-up play looked sharp with Bridge-Wilkinson and Schumacher in the thick of it. Out wide, Colbeck and Omar Daley used the ball effectively with the Jamaican looking more like the bright spark who had lit up his debut against Yeovil.

One cross, after two defenders looked to have shoved him down a cul-de-sac, should have been buried as it whizzed across the goal-mouth. Then he sent Eddie Johnson through with the cutest of through balls but the finish ruffled the side-netting.

And five minutes before the break, Daley was left wondering how on earth he had not scored his first City goal after seeing two close-range efforts cannon off Garry Richards. The ensuing pinball just eluded Billy Paynter, whose own whole-hearted contribution was summed up by the stitches in the side of his head which took him off the field for nearly eight minutes.

All that was lacking was a City goal. What a depressingly familiar refrain that has become.

Brentford, buoyed by back-to-back away wins at Blackpool and Huddersfield, did not respond with much as Ainge and Mark Bower snuffed out Neil Shipperley, whose portly demeanour looks more like a shipyard these days.

But just occasionally the warning light flickered, particularly on City's left side where Ben Parker was having problems with Charlie Ide.

The Brentford winger looked to have a shout for a penalty when Parker clumsily nudged him over after being caught the wrong side but referee Darren Deadman was, for once, unmoved. It was one of the few challenges not to be followed by a whistle and card.

Deadman (is he called that because he tries to kill off games?) went into Saturday on 99 yellow cards for the season. When he flourished the first of the day's nine to Richard Edghill, you half-expected him to raise it to the crowd in celebration for reaching three figures.

Slagging off referees has become a weekly past-time but the Cambridge whistle-blower took it to another level. By the end, he looked ready to book players simply for tying their shoelaces up wrong.

Yet he could have shown a straight red to Karleigh Osborne for a cynical professional foul on Johnson - if he hadn't already blown up for a clip on Paynter in the build-up.

The predictable red card, when it did eventually come, was predictably controversial with Brentford protesting Jo Kuffour's innocence for an elbow on Parker. Bees boss Scott Fitzgerald, biting his lip hard when questioned about the official, suggested video replays might be the answer.

Kuffour had already been the central figure in the opening goal with a wiggly run that took him past Schumacher and across Parker who sent him tumbling in the box. Skipper Kevin O'Connor celebrated his 25th birthday with as good a penalty as you will see - at least until Schumacher's.

City had to respond and the crowd knew it. With 20 minutes left, the fans in the Kop were on their feet and belting out "City til I Die".

It was the trigger for a wall of noise to lift the players for the rest of the game. If only it could happen every week.

Schumacher's shot was beaten away and Bruce Dyer, on for the injured Johnson, should have hit the target having cleverly worked some space. But City kept on coming and Wetherall sacrificed Edghill to throw on David Hibbert as another attacker.

Kuffour's dismissal, which according to Fitzgerald "started the chaos from the officials at the end", saw Brentford retreat into a 9-0-1 shell for the frantic finale. But Paynter still found the room to nod the ball down to Dyer's path and he went down in stages after a faint nudge by Michael Leary.

Was it a penalty? "I'm glad he gave it," beamed a diplomatic Wetherall, who was even happier to see Schumacher dispatch the gift.

Dyer, Paynter and Bridge-Wilkinson all sensed glory in four minutes of frenzied stoppage time before Deadman's whistle signalled the end of hostilities. The tension, though, was still bubbling over and Fitzgerald had to be kept away from the referee by stewards.

The relegation dogfight can have that effect. We'd better get used to it.

TELEGRAPH & ARGUS 

BRADFORD CITY			BRENTFORD
Donovan Ricketts	1	28	Nathan Abbey
Richard Edghill	2	2	Kevin O'Connor
Ben Parker	3	10	Jo Kuffour
Mark Bower	6	12	Neil Shipperley
Steven Schumacher	7	16	Joe Keith
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson	8	15	Gary Richards
Eddie Johnson	9	18	Sam Tillen
Omar Daley	23	22	John Mousinho
Joe Colbeck	28	24	Karleigh Osborne
Simon Ainge	32	25	Charlie Ide
Billy Paynter	34	32	Michael Leary
	subs	subs
Russell Howarth	13	1	Stuart Nelson
David Wetherall	5	4	Thomas Pinault
David Hibbert	24	7	Paul Brooker
Craig Bentham	25	19	Callum Willock
Bruce Dyer	35	6	Adam Griffiths

MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee:	D Deadman
Assistant Referee:	C Bassindale
Assistant Referee:	N A Yates
4th Official:	D Handley

SUBSTITUTES
BRADFORD CITY	min		min	BRENTFORD
35 for 9	55
24 for 2	83

GOAL SCORERS
BRADFORD CITY	min		min	BRENTFORD
Schumacher (pen)	88		48	O'Connor (pen)

DISCIPLINARY
BRADFORD CITY	min		min	BRENTFORD
Edghill	21		39	Mousinho
Paynter	61		44	Tillen
Ainge	66		45	Osborne
			82	Ide
			85	Kuffour
			87	Leary
			89	Abbey