City’s under-18s proved unable to record back-to-back victories, losing out 5-4 at Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United.
Despite being 3-2 down at half-time, the Millers managed to fight back, taking all three points after a first-half Eliot Goldthorp red card.
The first goal went to the home side through Ethan Kenny, with the No.9 finding himself in the clear - inside the opening 20 minutes - to fire past Tom Donaghy.
After conceding first, the young Bantams were soon on top, managing to grab a goal of their own in the 25th minute.
Midfielder Kian Scales found space outside the 18-yard box to place the ball in the bottom-left corner and level the scores.
Two minutes later, City were in again. This time, Connor Shanks provided a neat finish after a well-calculated pass from the club captain Hayden Smethurst.
After the half-hour mark, Mark Trueman’s men made it three, with Scales hammering into the top corner for his second of the morning.
Rotherham found time to pull one back before the half-time break, with Kenny netting his and his side’s second, and the affair’s fifth.
Then, just before half-time, City midfielder Eliot Goldthorp was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence.
Despite their blow prior to the interval, Trueman’s side came bursting back out of the blocks, adding a fourth goal, 52 minutes in.
After a short corner, defender Reece Staunton found himself free on the left-hand side, delivering a pinpoint cross to the head of Charlie Wood who nodded home.
With the scoreboard reading 4-2, the Bantams begun dropping back, inviting more pressure from their hosts.
The visitors proved unable to keep the door locked and the home side had levelled the scores, 20 minutes later, through Ciaran McGuckin and Wilfred Peel-Evans.
In the last five minutes of the game, United snatched all three points, through a well-struck shot from Luke Hodgkinson.
With the young Bantams pushing for an equaliser - over a prolonged period of stoppage time - the hosts hung on to their lead, securing a thrilling 5-4 victory.
CITY: Tom Donaghy; Hayden Smethurst © (Olivier Sukiennicki 75’), Jorge Sikora, Finn Cousin-Dawson, Reece Staunton; Eliot Goldthorp (sent off 45’), Connor Shanks, Kian Scales; Dan Franis, Connor Morris (Jonny White 73’), Charlie Wood. Subs (not used): Harvey Ormerod, Oliver Norman.
GOALS: Scales (25’, 29’), Shanks (27’), Wood (52’).
ROTHERHAM: Elliot Ellis; Josh Millen (Samuel Hanley 80’), Charlie Smith, Jake Hull, Harrison Beeden; Joel Spence © (Travon Wenham 75’), Wilfred Peel-Evans, Luke Hodgkinson, Jacob Gratton; Ethan Kenny, Ciaran McGuckin. Subs (not used): George Scott, Bolton Makuedza.
GOALS: Kenny (19’, 33’), McGuckin (63’), Peel-Evans (72’), Hodgkinson (85’).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Charlie Wood.