Gary Bowyer was happy with the desire his side showed - following a 1-1 draw at home to Cheltenham Town.
The Bantams burst out of the blocks early on though were pegged back towards the end, after Jamie Devitt saw red.
Bowyer insists he was looking for a reaction after the disappointment of Saturday and is pleased with what he saw.
He said: “The performance from the boys with the fight, spirit and character shown was really good.
“We started the game very well and played at a great intensity. It was massive team effort and squad performance.
“You saw each and every player out there fighting for each other and working very hard, which filled me with pride, following Saturday.
“The players took a lot of responsibility and the way we went about it was brilliant.”
The Bantams boss was keen to praise individual performances within the collective showing, and was impressed with various members of his side.
The returning Clayton Donaldson got on the scoresheet for City, with Dylan Connolly impressing and Shay McCartan winning the spot-kick.
Bowyer added: “Shay’s fantastic run won us the penalty and then Clayton did brilliantly to tuck it away, after being out for so long.
“He has not even been in full training with us for a week yet, but showed his character and love for the football club with his performance.
“Dylan was awesome. He is an infectious character and a brilliant guy. He is great to have around the dressing room and gets people going, both in the stands and on the pitch.
“It was a wonderful effort from him along with everyone else.”
Meanwhile, City will await the results of a scan which defender Kelvin Mellor will undergo.
Mellor - withdrawn just before the hour mark - appeared to have sustained a hamstring injury.