Stuart McCall likes football to be played properly. He wants his sides to get the ball down and knock it around.

In an ideal world, City would turn on the style week in, week out. But what McCall has learned in two years at the helm is that the fancy-dan approach will not always cut it in League Two.

The teams who do the best at this level are the most effective, not necessarily the easiest on the eye. It's about doing something that works, even if it may occasionally go against your footballing principles.

When the Valley Parade squad was remoulded during the summer, McCall talked about the horses for courses approach and the need for a more effective brand of play. City had to become tighter, tougher and a bit more "in yer face".

The temptation when James Hanson came on board was to start lumping it longer. McCall was wary about it becoming the easy get-out. If in doubt, welly it up to Hanson. But he also knew there would be days when it was likely to be the most effective method.

Hanson's head has wasted no time in clocking up the assists and he added another to his tally on Saturday, so you can't blame City for looking to him when it's working well.

McCall admitted they did not set out with that intention. Chris Brandon was recalled to the starting line-up in the hope that he could get on the ball and dictate their play.

McCall switched back to a traditional 4-4-2 after his recent success, feeling that it would give City more attacking options than in the last home game against Torquay.

But Brandon was stuck on the left as a passenger until the second half and then the after-effects of his recent virus forced an earlyish exit - so instead the Bantams looked to fly Air Hanson.

McCall said: "Sometimes you have to carry on with what's giving you success. We got our goal with effective rather than great football.

"When you've got a big boy like James winning everything, it gives the midfield runners the chance to pick up the second ball and that's how the goal came about.

"It was about getting bodies forward. It wasn't great Einstein football, more route one if you like. I like playing football the right way with lots of passes but it has got to be effective.

"Last year we had quality players who knocked the ball about but if the end result is that you're not getting the ball in the box and scoring goals, then it doesn't matter."

Not that Hanson had it all his own way against no-nonsense marker Guy Branston, a genuine old-school centre half.

Branston freely admits his job is to go out and bully strikers and his battle with Hanson was not one for the purist.

Honours finished just about even after the City man had shaded the first half. Though Branston's post-match claims that referees don't like him didn't really stand up, considering that Mick Russell kept the yellow card pouched despite the mounting personal foul count.

Burton, too, enjoyed more of the game as it wore on and City could have few complaints that the carrot of a fifth straight win was snatched away by a second-half equaliser.

The early form of Hanson, Steve Williams and Scott Neilson has proved that the gap between the bottom division and non-league is no longer the chasm of years gone by.

Promoted teams have done well in the last few seasons - think Exeter - and Burton look capable of comfortably bridging the gap.

New boss Paul Peschisolido, like his former Blades team-mate McCall, has quickly learned that reputations count for little. Having kicked off the season with only two starters from the side that won the Conference, the current line-up now features over half of them.

Burton were easily the best side to visit Valley Parade so far, even though City will still feel they had the chances to have put the result beyond reach.

Neilson had forced a good low save from Artur Krysiak before the deadlock was broken midway through the first half.

Michael Flynn successfully gambled on Hanson nodding on Simon Eastwood's goal kick and created panic between Branston and John McGrath in the Burton box.

Flynn managed to get a toe to the loose ball, playing it on to Branston and the rebound fell neatly into the path of Gareth Evans for an easy tap-in; hardly goal of the week material but simple and very effective.

Unfortunately it did not prove the launchpad for another victory. City got the ball forward often enough, totting up the corners and opportunities to unlock the defence, but they were let down by poor distribution and crossing.

Set-pieces, usually such a strong point for this team, were disappointingly ordinary, corners in particular coming to nothing. And Burton, on the back of their great draw at Notts County, always had a goal in them.

City's defence was twice nearly breached before half-time. Eastwood saved superbly from McGrath, who would surely have got a penalty if he had gone down instead of shooting, and then the keeper did well to get something on a Shaun Harrad shot after an air swish from Zesh Rehman.

Eastwood took just enough off it but City were indebted to Lee Bullock's brave lunge towards his own goal, just easing the ball away from the incoming Greg Pearson and taking a nasty smack from the post in the process.

City picked up the tempo after the break as Brandon finally saw the possession he craved.

It should have been 2-0 when Evans saw the keeper off his line but he failed to spot Neilson unmarked on his right hand and chipped over the bar.

Then Neilson set off on a bamboozling run that took him deep into the Burton box to tee himself up on his left foot. McCall said it was the type of chance he'd gobble up in training - sadly this one went flying high and wide.

By now, Burton had thrown on experienced striker Richard Walker, whose arrival was asking stern questions of the City backline as he held the ball up for reinforcements.

He was involved in the 74th-minute equaliser, despite failing to control an initial opportunity in front of goal. The ball flashed across the box and back out to substitute Robin Shroot, whose pass was backheeled by Walker for left back Paul Boertien to crown his 200th league game with a thumping finish.

Michael Boulding came on and almost conjured a half-chance out of nothing but the best opening came at the other end, Harrad sliding the ball wide when it looked easier to hit the target.

BRADFORD CITY	BURTON ALBION
1 Simon Eastwood	30 Artur Krysiak
2 Simon Ramsden	2 Paul Boertien
3 Luke O'Brien	4 Michael Simpson
4 Michael Flynn	5 Tony James
5 Zesh Rehman	6 John McGrath
8 Lee Bullock	8 Andy Corbett
9 Gareth Evans	9 Shaun Harrad
11 Chris Brandon	15 Ryan Austin
12 Steve Williams	18 Greg Pearson
17 James Hanson	19 Jacques Maghoma
26 Scott Neilson	20 Guy Branston
Substitutes:	Substitutes:
13 Jon McLaughlin	13 Shane Redmond
6 Matthew Clarke	7 Darren Stride
14 Michael Boulding for 26 (78)	10 Richard Walker for 18 (62)
16 Jonathan Bateson	12 Robin Shroot for 8 (46)
18 Rory Boulding	14 Marc Goodfellow for 19 (70)
19 James O'Brien	16 Russell Penn
20 Leon Osborne for 11 (73)	17 Jimmy Phillips

MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee	M P Russell
Assistant Referee	P E Curry
Assistant Referee	J Hunt
4th Official	A H Greenwood

GOALSCORERS:
BRADFORD CITY	BURTON ALBION
Evans (24)	Boertien (74)

DISCIPLINARY:
BRADFORD CITY	BURTON ALBION
Ramsden
Williams
	.