Bantams defender Nathaniel Knight-Percival felt City got their rewards on Saturday for their hard-work, discipline and endeavour in the 1-0 win at Shrewsbury Town.
Stuart McCall's men became the first side to win in the league at Shrewsbury's Montgomery Waters Meadow this season with a hard-fought success over the side who had been top of Sky Bet League One going into the game.
With surprise-package Shrewsbury pushing City all the way at the weekend, McCall's side were required to show all of their defensive qualities for long periods of the match.
The Bantams had to dig deep at times, including during an almighty goal-mouth scramble deep into stoppage time, but City hung on to claim a welcome clean sheet to go with the three-point haul.
Knight-Percival, who previously played for the Shrews, said: "We had to work really hard for this one.
"They've thrown a lot of long balls in towards the end of the game and we've had to defend our box well.
"As a defender, it is very rewarding when you can get your head on things and clear the danger.
"You cannot switch off in any of the games at the moment, and Saturday was no different.
"You have to concentrate for the full 90 minutes.
"We've probably not had as many clean sheets as we would have liked so far this season, so we're pretty happy with our defending throughout the team.
"Starting with Chaz (Charlie Wyke) up top in attack, the lads have all dug in, played their part and defended well.
"We've been able to grind out some good victories away from home now.
"I can't quite put my finger on why that is - I'm sure there isn't just one factor - but we're happy as long as we are picking up points.
"We can now focus on the next game for us, which is the FA Cup (vs Plymouth Argyle)."