Sky Bet League 1
Bradford City 0
Bristol City 6 (Tavernier 17, 73, Bryan 35, Ayling 54, Flint 66, Wilbraham 79)
Kick Off: 7.45pm
at the Coral Windows Stadium
Attendance 12,609 (903 visitors)
The Bantams were swept aside with some authority by Championship-bound Bristol City as the high-flying visitors sealed their return to the second tier of English football in some style.
First half goals from Bradford-born James Tavernier and Joe Bryan were added to shortly after the break by defenders Luke Ayling and Aden Flint before Tavernier's second of the night and a sixth Bristol City goal from Aaron Wilbraham completed a miserable evening for Phil Parkinson's men.
The heavy defeat will naturally be a shock to the system for the Bantams after an out-of-character display for Phil Parkinson's men against the league's top dogs.
A difficult evening for Parkinson's side began after seventeen minutes when Tavernier opened the scoring for the Robins by firing home on the rebound after Stephen Darby had kicked clear his initial shot from right in front of City's goal.
The visitor's second of the night came ten minutes from the break when Bryan leapt ahead of Darby to head home Luke Freeman's cross via Ben Williams' far post.
Parkinson introduced Jon Stead for Mark Yeates at the break but Bristol City remained the side on the front-foot after the restart.
Robins defender Luke Ayling netted their third of the night when his low drive from distance spilled through the grasp of Ben Williams before going in.
It was fourth for Steve Cotterill's side shortly after the hour mark when their giant defender Aden Flint powered home a header from a Marlon Pack wide free-kick delivery.
Four then became five when Tavernier crashed home a loose ball on the rebound after James Meredith has hooked Kieran Agard's goal-line shot off the line seventeen minutes from the end.
An extremely painful night for City was finished off with just over ten minutes of normal time remaining when Meredith's air-kick allowed Wilbraham to side-step past Rory McArdle before comfortably slotting past Williams inside the area.
FT: Bradford City 0 Bristol City 6
90+3min: McMahon's cross is headed out into the path of Routis and the Frenchman's volley from just outside the box is pushed onto the post by Fielding.
90min: There will be three minutes of time added on at the end of the match.
88min: SUB - Bristol City bring on Jay Emmanuel-Thomas for Wilbraham.
85min: YELLOW CARD - Saville is booked for barging into Liddle as the pair challenge for the ball in the air.
84min: Pack plays a free-kick delivery across to Saville but the midfielder's drive from distance is high and wide.
80min: SUB - Bristol City bring on George Saville for Freeman.
79min: GOAL - Bradford City 0 Bristol City 6 - Wilbraham continues the misery for the Bantams as the visitors now make it six for the evening. A sliced clearance from Meredith puts the striker in with a sight of goal and he side-steps the attempted challenge of McArdle before poking past Ben Williams from deep inside the penalty area.
76min: SUB - Bristol City bring on Greg Cunningham for Bryan.
75min: SUBS - The Bantams bring on Christopher Routis and Tony McMahon for Knott and Morais respectively.
73min: GOAL - Bradford City 0 Bristol City 5 - Tavernier has his second of the evening for the visitors as Bristol City register a fifth. Bryan's pull-back from the byline finds Agard but the striker's close range strike is hooked off the line by James Meredith. The loose ball falls to Tavernier, however, and the wing back lashes home into the net.
72min: Agard's powerful drive from just outside the box is pushed away thanks to a strong right hand from Ben Williams.
Pack's shot from distance sails comfortably wide of goal.70min:
66min: GOAL - Bradford City 0 Bristol City 4 - Flint makes it four for Championship-bound Bristol City as the giant defender powers home a header from Marlon Pack's wide free-kick delivery.
Hanson heads over from Morais' resulting corner delivery.56min:
56min:Clarke's hanging ball across goal from the byline is just over the head of Stead before Bryan behind him heads out for a corner.
54min: GOAL - Bradford City 0 Bristol City 3 - Ayling adds a third for Bristol City when his drive from distance spills through the grasp of Ben Williams and into the corner of his goal.
53min: Filipe Morais' hanging cross from the byline is headed down by Hanson into the path of Stead but the substitute striker's shot on the turn sails wide of Fielding's near post.
46min: Bristol City restart the match.
HT SUB - The Bantams bring on Jon Stead for Yeates just before the start of the second period.
HT: Bradford City 0 Bristol City 2
45min: There will be one minute of time added on at the end of the first half.
45min: Gary Liddle latches onto a loose ball just outside the penalty area and his first time volley sails not too far over Fielding's crossbar.
43min: Agard sends a curling strike from just inside the box goal-wards but Ben Williams curls on.
36min: Clarke sends a glancing header comfortably wide of Fielding's far post following Mark Yeates' in-swinging cross.
35min: GOAL - Bradford City 0 Bristol City 2 - The Robins double their lead when Freeman sends a curling ball from the byline across goal and Joe Bryan out-jumps Darby to head home via the post.
25min: Darby's long ball over the top is headed down by Hanson into the path of Billy Clarke but the Irish attacker's strike from just inside the area is blocked behind by a diving tackle from Flint.
17min: GOAL - Bradford City 0 Bristol City 1 - The visitors take the lead through Bradford-born wing-back James Tavernier. The Wigan Athletic loanee is released into space by Freeman but sees his initial angled drive from inside the area brilliantly kicked clear from right in front of the goal by Stephen Darby. Tavernier is first onto the loose ball, however, and smashes it past a helpless Ben Williams from around eight yards out.
12min: McArdle's loose control from a kick out by Ben Williams allows Bristol City to break forward with menace but the defender redeems himself by making a brave block tackle to repel Agard's attempt on goal from just outside the box.
11min: Aden Flint's header at the far post from Marlon Pack resulting corner delivery is saved by the outstretched leg of Ben Williams.
11min: Luke Ayling's cross into the middle looks to find the head of the diving Kieran Agard but Rory McArdle is able to get his boot on the ball to turn it over the bar for a corner.
7min: Billy Knott's corner delivery is headed back across goal by James Hanson but Gary MacKenzie's first time effort from close range is held by Frank Fielding.
3min: Freeman fires wide of Ben Williams' near post with a low drive from just outside the box.
1min: Aaron Wilbraham drags his shot wide from the edge of the area after receiving the ball from Luke Freeman.
0min: The Bantams kick off the match. They will attack towards the T.L Dallas Stand end in the first period.
BRADFORD CITY LINE UP:
Williams, Darby, McArdle, MacKenzie, Meredith, Morais, Liddle, Knott, Yeates, Clarke, Hanson
Subs: Urwin, Dolan, Zoko, Stead, Routis, Halliday, McMahon
Bradford City changes:
Stead for Yeates (46), Routis for Knott (75), McMahon for Morais (75)
BRISTOL CITY LINE UP:
Fielding, Ayling, Flint, Williams, Pack, Tavernier, Bryan, Smith, Freeman, Agard, Wilbraham
Subs: Richards, Osborne, Elliott, Emmanuel-Thomas, Wagstaff, Saville, Cunningham
Bristol City cautions:
Saville (85)
Bristol City changes:
Cunningham for Bryan (76), Saville for Freeman (80), Emmanuel-Thomas for Wilbraham (88)
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: S Attwell
Assistant Referee: H Byrne
Assistant Referee: M Dicicco
Fourth Official: M Astley