Stuart McCall has one word to say to City's comeback kings: Sorry.

The Bantams boss called a team meeting before training on Monday to apologise to his players for coming down too hard on them after Saturday's three-goal fightback at Accrington Stanley.

McCall looked less than thrilled despite his team's stunning recovery, when they hit three in the final ten minutes to snatch victory.

And after watching the game again on DVD, he admitted the players warranted a better reaction.

Talking to the Telegraph & Argus McCall said: "I didn't give them the credit they deserved afterwards. That's why I made a point of apologising to the whole group.

"A few things about the game had frustrated me and maybe I didn't realise how well we had played for large parts of it. But once I had the chance to study it again, I saw that it was generally a good all-round performance."

McCall was unhappy with Accrington's first goal - from a set-piece move he had warned his players to watch - and the way City's heads dropped for a spell in the second half.

But totting up the scoring chances they created, he realised his initial verdict after a remarkable win had been too harsh. He added: "We played better in the first 20 minutes against Accrington than at Macclesfield, when we scored twice and effectively wrapped up the game.

"On another day we might have been two or three up at half-time - Michael Boulding could have been sat in the dressing room with a hat-trick.

"We didn't perform poorly in that first half and, apart from a frustrating 15 minutes, we were okay in the second. And once again we showed that we possess people who can score goals.

"We can't expect to dominate every game but we still created seven or eight good chances."

McCall has also dismissed suggestions that City do not possess any natural leaders on the pitch who can take matters by the scruff of the neck.

"People lead in different ways. I think the sort of fist-clenching, 'have a right go' leadership has gone out the game.

"We had five young lads in the team with under 70 starts in league football, so you're not going to expect that from them. The front two lads aren't the most vocal but can still lead with the way they play; it's the same with Paul McLaren and Graeme Lee, who are always looking to encourage.

"Nobody has got a God-given right to just go to places and turn people over. Who would have given Port Vale a prayer at Shrewsbury? You've got to earn every point.

"But we had to look at beating Accrington and we've done that. People say that we got out of jail but we shouldn't be there in the first place.

"Our feet will always be firmly on the ground and it was only one game. But that has got to be a massive result in terms of self-belief."