The Bantams suffered late heartache at the hands of AFC Wimbledon as two late goals from the home side snatched a probable victory out of the hands of Phil Parkinson's men.
Seemingly controlling the game going into the final ten minutes thanks to Garry Thompson's opener just before the hour mark, City were stunned when Dons substitute Jack Midson - via a healthy deflection off Ryan Dickson - glanced home a header seven minutes from the end to equalise.
With time almost up after the very end of the game, City were then to suffer yet more frustration when the Dons scored with virtually the last attack of the match following a hotly-disputed late corner.
Despite the ball appearing to clearly come off Dons winger Toby Ajala, the hosts were awarded a corner and that gave Gary Alexander the opportunity to head home for the winner.
FT: AFC Wimbledon 2 Bradford City 1
90+4min: AFC Wimbledon 2 Bradford City 1 - Disaster for City as Alexander pounces to head home a dramatic late, late glancing header following Ajala's near post corner.
90min: There will be three minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
89min: Hanson's header on the stretch following Darby's cross into the area flashes comfortably wide of Wimbledon's goal.
84min: SUB - Nahki Wells is brought on for Reid. Thompson will now operate from City's right flank.
83min: GOAL - AFC Wimbledon 1 Bradford City 1 - Nightmare for City as Wimbledon equalise with time running out. Balkestein cross into the middle gets flicked for goal by Midson and the ball just creeps into the far corner of Duke's goal. Midson is claiming the goal but the final touch did seem to come off Ryan Dickson.
82min: Harry Pell tries a hopeful first-time effort from distance but the ball sails well wide of Duke's goal without picking out a Wimbledon team-mate or testing the Bantams 'keeper.
77min: Thompson heads a couple of yards wide of Sullivan's goal following Darby's floated cross into the area.
66min: SUB - The Bantams bring on James Hanson for Gray.
64min: SUBS - Wimbledon now bring on Pim Balkestein for Mat Mitchel-King in a straight swap. Kevin Sainte-Luce is also brought on for Yussuff shortly afterwards.
61min: Reid turns into space just outside the area before dragging a low angled drive just wide of Sullivan's far post.
60min: Thompson is through on goal again as he bursts past Alan Bennett outside Wimbledon's area. With the recovering defender at his back and the ball bobbling up on the difficult surface though, Thompson can only slice an effort wide of Sullivan's goal from around the edge of the area.
60min: SUB - Wimbledon bring on Jack Midson for Sammy Moore.
59min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AFC Wimbledon 0 Bradford City 1 - Thompson fires City into the lead with a neat volley from inside the area! Alan Bennett tries to head a pumped ball forward by Reid back to his 'keeper Sullivan but his header is weak and Thompson is able to run onto it and neatly fire past Sullivan with a well-taken finish into the far corner.
57min: A half-cleared Wimbledon free-kick falls into the path of Ajala but the winger's looping half-volley from just outside the area is straight at Duke.
55min: There's a moment of apprehension in the City camp when Toby Ajala bursts forward dangerously on the counter-attack. The pacey winger beats Reid and then skips past Davies' attempted challenge as he surges forward deep into City's territory. Just as it appears Ajala had done most of the hard work though, he mis-times his cross and the ball sails into the fans behind Duke's goal.
46min: Reid runs forward with menace, surging past two Wimbledon players in the process, but his eventual shot on goal from a fair distance out sails well over Sullivan's goal.
46min: AFC Wimbledon restart the match.
HT: AFC Wimbledon 0 Bradford City 0
45min: There will be one minute of time added on at the end of the first half.
39min: YELLOW CARD - Alexander is booked for a late tackle on Davies just in front of the dug-outs as the defender cleared the ball up the line on City's left flank.
37min: Atkinson picks up a loose ball around 20 yards from Wimbledon's goal but his first-time left-footed effort floats over Sullivan's crossbar.
30min: Atkinson and Andrew Davies are both down momentarily after the pair seemed to bang heads while going for a Jones wide free-kick that had been floated into Wimbledon's area. The pair are back up on their feet soon enough though and able to continue.
26min: Gray gets his head onto a fizzing Reid cross but his flicked header from inside the area sails well wide of the target.
22min: Racing onto a headed knock-down from Garry Thompson, Will Atkinson hits a first-time effort for goal from all of 30 yards out. Despite the ball being well-struck by the City midfielder, the effort flies a yard or so over the bar.
17min: Despite looking clearly in an offside position, Gary Alexander is allowed to race onto a ball forward and send a low cross right into the heart of City's penalty area. Stephen Darby just does enough to prevent Yussuff getting a strike on goal in the middle before Duke pounces on the loose ball.
17min: Harry Pell has the time and space to run forward with the ball but the Dons attacker can only end the attack with a tame strike straight at Duke from around the edge of the area.
16min: Reid's fizzing centre across the area is only inches away from Andy Gray in the middle. The striker flings himself forward in an attempt to reach the cross right in front of goal but the ball just flashes past the striker and out for a throw-in at the far side of the pitch.
11min: Peter Sweeney lets rip with a rising drive from around 20 yards out that whistles narrowly over Duke's bar.
9min: Kyel Reid tries his luck with a dipping half-volley from distance but the looping effort is wayward enough not to trouble Neil Sullivan in the AFC Wimbledon goal.
1min: A loose ball inside City's area falls into the path of Rashid Yussuff but his weak shot from around fourteen yards out takes a slight deflection on its way through to Matt Duke, who gathers quite comfortably.
0min: The Bantams kick off the match.