Milton Keynes Dons 2 Bradford City 3
Jason Kennedy scored the late winner and his first in a Bradford shirt after the hosts had twice pegged back The Bantams after leading twice in the game. Nahki Wells neatly tucked away Garry Thompson’s cross to give City the lead before Patrick Bamford levelled. Kyel Reid’s bizarre strike sent Parkinson’s men into the interval a goal to the good. Shaun Williams levelled from the penalty spot before Kennedy tucked away James Meredith’s low centre in the 84th minute.
MK were starting on the front foot enjoying large amounts of possession and they almost got an early goal but Shaun Williams unorthodox free kick was tipped onto the bar by Jon McLaughlin and cleared to safety.
City almost got a scoring chance when James Hanson flicked on Garry Thompson’s long thrown and Kyel Reid almost latched onto the loose ball but Daniel Powell managed to guide the ball back to his keeper Ian McLoughlin.
Nearly 4 months into the season most in the league will be aware of the capabilities of Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford and he almost emphatically fired his side into the lead but his shot fizzed narrowly wide of the target.
Despite the hosts’ promising start to the game it was City who struck first blood; from Gary Jones’ short free kick, Garry Thompson whipped an inviting low cross into the area that was neatly tucked away into the far corner by Nahki Wells for his 13th goal of the season.
MK almost levelled immediately when Powell latched onto a through ball to get in behind and one on one with McLaughlin but it was the Bantams’ stopper that won the battle of wits as he kept the lively winger at bay on this occasion.
Ten minutes before the break Bamford equalised. One ball forward carved City open and the 20 year old frontman was left with the simple task of prodding the ball past McLaughlin and into the far corner of the goal.
Just before half time City went in front again, this time in quite bizarre fashion; Reid went on a mazy run down the left hand side and beat two or three men brilliantly before standing up what looked an over-hit cross towards Hanson, the ball had McLoughlin backtracking nervously before the ball dropped into the back of the net!
The Bantams started the second half as the hosts did the first, on the front foot but the Dons almost levelled against the run of play. Bamford’s low cross into the area begged a touch but it didn’t get the contact it needed to force the ball into the goal.
Nahki Wells was a matter of centimetres away from killing the game off when his dipping 25 yard free kick beat the wall and left McLoughlin stranded but came back off the post.
The hosts began to get back into the game and looked like causing problems whenever they went forward and their pressure told when Wells brought down Dele Alli in the area to give MK a penalty kick. Williams made no mistake from 12 yards out, calmly send McLaughlin the wrong way.
It was all MK at this stage and they looked like scoring the next goal if there was to be one, but football being football it just wasn’t to pan out that way as the Bantams led a superb counter attack to snatch all three points. Jones won the ball back in the middle of the park and picked out substitute Mark Yeates out wide who then picked out the driving run of Meredith; the full back’s low cross towards the back post was bundled in by Kennedy who had stolen a yard on his marker Dean Lewington to send the visitors back north with a much needed three points!