BRADFORD CITY AFC

Barely seconds after being repelled by Crawley keeper Paul Jones, substitute Thompson glanced home a header from Gary Jones' corner four minutes from the end of normal time to win it for Phil Parkinson's men.

Aaron Mclean had earlier given Parkinson's side the lead for the first time five minutes after the break following a smart finish from just inside the area following Nathan Doyle's well-placed forward pass.

Crawley sub Jamie Proctor did level things up for the visitors midway through the second period when he latched onto a Kyle McFadzean pass before lobbing the ball over a stranded Jon McLaughlin.

Proctor's goal looked like it was set to earn Crawley a share of the spoils until Thompson's important intervention with time running out.

On the day when City held their traditional pre-match minute's silence to remember the 56 supporters who lost their lives in the Valley Parade fire disaster, it was perhaps quite fitting then that the victory for the Bantams moved them onto 56 points for the season with one game to go.

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FT: Bradford City 2 Crawley Town 1
90+4min: Thompson strikes from outside the area with a rising drive that Paul Jones spills out before gathering up at the second attempt.
90+3min: Simpson moves away from Doyle as he runs towards City’s penalty area but his strike from just outside the box sails a good yard or so over the bar.
90min: There will be four minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
86min: GOAL!!!!!!!! Bradford City 2 Crawley Town 1 – Thompson isn’t denied for long, however! From Gary Jones’ resulting corner, Thompson beats Paul Jones to the flight of the ball to glance a header into the far corner.
86min: Yeates’ clever little through ball has Thompson in behind Crawley’s defence inside the area. With the ball rolling away from goal, however, and the angling tightening all of the time, Thompson just about manages to get a shot in that Paul Jones repels at his near post.
83min: Yeates fizzes over a low cross into the six yard box that strikes McFadzean before popping up into the clutches of a grateful Paul Jones.
81min: The ball gets fed into Tubbs’ path just outside the area but the striker, who has McHugh closing him down, can only fire wide of McLaughlin’s near post.
78min: Sadler strikes for goal with a fierce low drive direct from a free-kick outside the area which McLaughlin does well to hold onto as it bounces into his path.
73min: Torres takes aim from a couple of yards outside the box but his side-footed effort is straight at McLaughlin.
70min: SUB – The Bantams on Kyle Bennett for De Vita.
66min: GOAL – Bradford City 1 Crawley Town 1 – The visitors equalise when McFadzean’s long ball over the top drops over the head of McHugh, allowing Proctor to nip in and lob the ball over the stranded McLaughlin with a well-placed effort from just outside the area.
65min: Tubbs latches onto a ball forward from Torres to find himself in space deep inside City’s penalty area. McLaughlin comes out to meet the striker by the byline and manages to block out his cross-come-shot.
62min: SUB – The Bantams now bring on Garry Thompson for Mclean. Thompson will partner Stead in attack.
62min: Mclean latches onto an out-swinging Gary Jones corner but his first time shot on the bounce rises up and wide of Paul Jones’ goal.
59min: SUB – McArdle unfortunately is deemed unable to continue and is replaced by Carl McHugh.
58min: City are down to ten men temporality as Head Physio Matt Barrass attends to a cut on McArdle’s face at the side of the pitch.
57min: SUBS – Crawley bring on Jamie Proctor and Sergio Torres for Gary Dicker and Michael Jones.
56min: McArdle requires a spot of treatment after taking a whack to his head while defending a cross into the City box.
50min: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!! Bradford City 1 Crawley Town 0 – Mclean drives the Bantams into the lead! Nathan Doyle’s delightful ball over the top finds Mclean in behind last-man McFadzean and in on Crawley’s goal. From around twelve yards out, Mclean drives in a fierce low strike that whistles past a helpless Paul Jones and into the bottom corner.
50min: McLaughlin needs to be alert to repel McFadzean’s first time strike after the Bantams keeper could only punch out a Gwion Edwards corner into the defender’s direction. McLaughlin gets his hands on McFadzean’s volley for goal from inside the area before he pounces on the loose ball just before the defender.
48min: Stead gets away from Mark Connolly before driving into space and towards Crawley’s penalty area. Stead strikes for goal from around the edge of the area but his effort is blocked away by Kyle McFadzean.
46min: The Bantams restart the match.
HT: Bradford City 0 Crawley Town 0
45+1min: Paul Jones can only punch out at Gary Jones’ resulting corner delivery, meaning the ball drops into the path of the lurking Stead. The striker goes to shoot on the turn but his snap-shot is gathered up by the keeper.
45min: There will be a minute of time added on at the end of the first half.
45min: Davies leaps to meet a wide free-kick delivery from Gary Jones but Paul Jones just gets his finger-tips on the ball to flick the ball behind.
43min: Play is stopped briefly after a foam cover for one of the sponsor-boards is blow onto the pitch! Referee Mr Stockbridge is quick to remove the item, however, to allow the match to continue as normal.
40min: Michael Jones cuts inside onto his left foot and drives into the box with menace but his drive for goal is blocked by the frame of Davies.
38min: Yeates curls a free-kick from just outside the area narrowly wide of the far top corner of Paul Jones’ goal.
29min: Mclean is able to continue after a bit of treatment from Head Physio Matt Barrass following a whack to the head.
28min: A surging run forward from Andrew Davies ends with the defender firing in a thunderous rising drive from just outside the box that Paul Jones manages to cling onto.
27min: Yeates’ clipped ball into the box is headed back across by Aaron Mclean but the ball bounces just out of the path of both Jon Stead and Adam Drury.
20min: Michael Jones lines up a shot from distance but the effort flashes a yard or so wide of McLaughlin’s near post.
15min: Tubbs takes aim from distance but his effort takes a deflection and loops up in the direction of McLaughlin, who gathers up the bouncing ball to stop it from potentially going for a corner.
14min: A promising City attack ends with Aaron Mclean laying the ball off to Gary Jones, who fires over the bar with a rising strike from around 20 yards out.
9min: Rory McArdle leans back to connect with Gary Jones’ wide delivery from a free-kick but his header is held by Paul Jones.
8min: Gary Jones takes aim from just outside the area but his shot has the sting taken out of it by a sliding tackle from Mark Connolly and the ball loops up through into Crawley keeper Paul Jones’ path.
6min: Joe Walsh pokes the ball into the path of Matt Tubbs, who is lurking with intent just inside City’s penalty area. Despite being in a decent shooting position, however, Tubbs can only drag his shot wide of goal.
1min: Simpson moves into a pocket of space just inside City’s penalty area but his left-footed shot is scuffed and Jon McLaughlin can gather up the weak effort easily.
0min: Crawley kick off the match. It looks like City are playing with a ‘diamond-shaped’ midfield again following its use in the Peterborough United match. Instead of Adam Reach this time though, Mark Yeates has been given the task of playing as the attacking midfield role. City will also attack towards the T.L Dallas Stand end in the first half.
3:03pm: Crawley’s skipper Josh Simpson shows a touch of class by running from the halfway just before kick off to place a scarf and a wreath behind the goal of the Kop - an act which is greeted by a round of applause from City’s supporters.
3:01pm: The Coral Windows Stadium falls silent as the whole of the ground takes part in a minute’s silence for the 56 supporters who lost their lives in the Valley Parade fire disaster.

BRADFORD CITY LINE UP:
McLaughlin, Darby, McArdle, Davies, Drury, Doyle, Jones, De Vita, Yeates, Mclean, Stead

Subs: Jameson, Meredith, Dolan, Thompson, McHugh, McBurnie, Bennett 

McHugh for McArdle (59), Thompson for Mclean (62), Bennett for De Vita (70)


CRAWLEY TOWN LINE UP:
P Jones, M Connolly, McFadzean, Walsh, Sadler, M Jones, Dicker, Bulman, Edwards, Simpson, Tubbs

Subs: Maddison, Essam, Torres, Fallon, Proctor, Isaacs, Richefond 

Proctor for Dicker (57), Torres for M Jones (57)


MATCH OFFICIALS:

Referee: S Stockbridge
Assistant Referee: M Duncan
Assistant Referee: B Toner
Fourth Official: C Akers