Swindon were denied a second win of 2020 by a late Shay McCartan free-kick after Jerry Yates’ early penalty put Town ahead.
The Robins, wearing purple at home in aid of the Darby-Rimmer Foundation, were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw despite edging proceedings at the County Ground.
Jordan Lyden was sent off late on for the home side who completed their busy fixture schedule with their fourth game in ten days.
First Half
Swindon started in the ascendancy, with the key to that being quicker than their visitors to the second ball. Danny Rose and Jordan Lyden with Diallang Jaiyesimi in front of them were strong and bright in their work to keep the ball.
Town spent most of the opening exchanges in the Bradford half but without much goal-threat – and it was on the break that they actually got their breakthrough.
Jordan Lyden played down the line to Llloyd Isgrove who crossed from the right but it didn’t reach the danger area. Connor Wood had his arms up and, despite a slight delay, Darren Drysdale pointed to the spot.
In the absence of Eoin Doyle, Jerry Yates stepped up to the mark and made no mistake – Richard O’Donnell went the right way but the Rotherham loanee’s penalty had too much on it and Town were ahead.
From then, Swindon maintained their status as most likely to score but without capitalising and it was Bradford that went closest in the end. From the first corner of the game for the visitors, the ball found was swung in to the back post and, in a mess of bodies, squirmed out and onto Steven Benda’s post.
Second Half
Chances were at an absolute premium in the second half – neither side seemed to have the courage to create for fear of being hit on the break.
After a tough Christmas period, both teams looked tired and almost ready for the full-time whistle. It took until the 87th minute for Bradford to have a short on target but that shot on target was crucial for the visitors.
Shay McCartan came off the bench, once again, after scoring the winner for the Bantams in October and put a free-kick into the top corner to level the scores.
After that, the game reached a real flashpoint – Jordan Lyden dived in on the halfway line and received a red card sparking a clash of managers in the dugout. Both Richie Wellens and Gary Bowyer were booked by the referee as the game raced to full-time.
