Championship side Watford proved to be just too great a challenge for City to overcome as Phil Parkinson's battling Bantams bowed out of the F.A Cup with Budweiser at the third round stage.

City found themselves behind after only three minutes when striker Troy Deeney rose unchallenged to head home at the far post, but backed by over 1,200 travelling supporters, the Bantams roared back into the contest barely five minutes later when James Hanson fired home from close range.

Despite some threatening attacking play from the hosts, City kept the scores level until shortly before the half time interval when Deeney's strike-partner Marvin Sorvell finished neatly inside the area to restore Watford's lead.

The Bantams started the second period in encouraging fashion but they were dealt a hammer blow just before the hour mark when Craig Forsyth netted twice in three minutes to leave City with it all to do.

Forsyth's first came about when the winger finished off a move involved Deeney and Mark Yeates, while his second was a superbly-taken first time drive from outside the area following a swift counter-attack.

City kept going despite the score being firmly in their opponents' favour and they grabbed a goal back when the hard-working Nahki Wells steered home past 'keeper Jonathan Bond following Charlie Taylor's teasing ball into the box.

With four injury-time minutes still to play, the Bantams then though their had an unlikely comeback on their hands for a second when substitute Ross Hannah stooped to head home from close range - only for the linesman flag to rule goal out.

Ritchie Jones, who missed Monday's defeat at Rotherham United with an ankle knock, took the place of the suspended David Syers as Parkinson made only one change to the side that started at the Don Valley Stadium.

As allowed by F.A Cup regulations, City also named seven substitutes for the tie. Along with Hannah, the Bantams' bench also included Luke O'Brien, Luke Dean, Mark Stewart, Chris Mitchell and Lee Bullock.

Clearly keen to progress in the competition themselves, opponents Watford fielded arguably their strongest possible side for the visit of the Bantams.

Former Bantams loanee Scott Loach was missing from the match due a red card at Portsmouth on Monday, however, meaning a full first team debut for youngster Bond.

Going into the tie, City will have understandably been keen to keep things tight in the early stages of their contest against their higher-ranked opponents.

Unfortunately any plans of such a nature by Parkinson and his side went out of the window with only three minutes on the clock when Watford broke the deadlock in the match.

Sordell's teasing cross to the far post found an unmarked Deeney lurking and allowed his strike partner the simple task of heading in from close range past a helpless Jon McLaughlin.

Far from go into their shells though, City commendably came back into the contest and equalised shortly afterwards.

Carl Dickinson managed to get a block on a fierce drive from Ricky Ravenhill from outside the area but the ball fell invitingly into the path of the waiting Hanson.

With Bond on the floor having already committed to making the save for Ravenhill's initial shot, Hanson had the simple task of driving home into an unguarded goal to send City's sizeable away following into raptures.

The goal was Hanson's tenth of an increasingly productive season and extended his recent scoring feats to five goals in his last six matches.

Watford tried to respond after Hanson's leveller, with Yeates and strike-pairing Sordell and Deeney looking particularly threatening, but City were holding their own despite the two leagues difference.

Hornets skipper John Eustace saw his well-struck volley kept out smartly by McLaughlin at his near post, while the Bantams also managed to prevent Adrian Mariappa from scrambling the ball home following Yeates' dangerous cut-back by the byline thanks to some stern defending.

City were having to do most of the defending on the whole in the first period but they did threaten to sneak into the lead with one of their attacks forward when Hanson headed over the bar at the far post following a Robbie Threlfall corner.

With the Bantams' battling efforts still keeping Watford at bay as time ticked towards the interval, Parkinson's men looked set to go into the break level-pegged until Watford struck with only five minutes of the half left.

Yeates clever pass fed Sordell into his space deep inside City's area and the striker proceeded to twist and turn his way past Andrew Davies before drilling the ball under McLaughlin from an angle.

Despite Sordell's goal re-establishing the hosts' lead, City were still firmly in the contest as action restarted after the interval and the Bantams nearly engineered their second equaliser of the afternoon thanks to the pace of Wells only minutes into the half.

Leading a fast-paced City attack, Wells burst past Watford centre half Nyron Nosworthy before pulling the ball back from the byline into the heart of the Hornets' penalty area.

Both Jones and Hanson had bites of the cherry as City tried to scramble the ball home but Watford eventually managed to clear their lines.

The attack came during an encouraging period for City at the start of the second half but a double blow from the Honests in quick succession would suddenly leave the Bantams up against it.

Both of goals came from the boot of Forysth, with his first coming about following a move involved team-mates Deeney and Yeates.

Sordell's teasing cross into the box initially started the problems for City when McLaughlin has to flick the effort away to stop it from dropping into the corner of his goal.

Waiting around the far post though, Deeney was perfectly positioned to flick the ball back into the danger zone and towards the lurking Yeates.

Yeates instantly shot for goal and Forsyth was on hand to pop up in front of goal to get the final touch on the ball and steer it past McLaughlin.

Forsyth then registered his second and Watford's fourth of the afternoon barely three minutes later when he expertly finished off a swift counter-attack.

After clearing a City corner, Eustace drove forward with the ball before feeding lone man forward Forsyth into space deep inside City's half.

The young winger had the time and space to travel with the ball further but he let rip with a strike almost instantly to devastating effect as the ball whisted into the far corner of McLaughlin's goal from distance.

With Watford perhaps letting their foot off the gas slightly given their sudden three goal advantage, City began to enjoy the better of the game after Forsyth's double and created a couple notable chances.

Hanson went agonisingly close to pulling a goal back for City minutes after Forsyth's stunning second when his clever back-heeled effort whistled narrowly past Bond's near post following Wells' ball into the box.

Wells found then himself on the end of a City opening himself shortly afterwards when he latched onto Luke Oliver's flick on following a City free-kick into Watford's penalty area but his effort at the far post was wayward.

City were still pushing for goals with time running out as Hanson later diverted Craig Fagan's corner goalwards but Bond kept the ball out on the line.

The Bantams did eventually get the goal their second period efforts had deserved, however, when Wells pounced with only two minutes of normal time remaining.

The Bermudian striker timed his run perfectly to slip through a static home defence and flick Taylor's inswinging cross into the bottom corner and past Bond's despairing dive.

Almost unbelievably, City then thought for a moment that they had remarkably reignited hopes of snatching a reply from the tie when Hannah stole in unmarked at the far post to head home on the stroke of full time.

Unfortunately for City though, before they could begin to dream of having a real go at Watford in the final few minutes of injury time, the linesman flag ensured Hannah's goal would be chalked off to deny the Bantams a grandstand finish.