Barrow v Bradford City: Dealing with adversity will continue to define Bantams' League Two progress says Graham Alexander

After a quartet of horrible defeats to Forest Green, Mansfield Town, Notts County and Harrogate Town, a drama was starting to border on a crisis.

City’s response has been encouraging.

Following the concession of goals in the ‘first half’ of the opening 45 minutes of all those games to put them on the back foot, Graham Alexander’s side have gone back to basics somewhat.

In their past three matches against Tranmere Rovers, Grimsby Town and Gillingham they have kept a clean sheet in the first period to provide them with a platform to take something from each of them.

Heading into Tuesday’s game at high-flying Barrow, they have taken seven points from the past nine which constitutes some late-season progress.

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Alexander said: "Looking back over the patterns of the games, I think (dealing with) the adversity is the challenging one for us.

"I spoke a few months ago about the importance of the first goal and how it seemed to influence how the game went.

"That’s certainly what has hit us hard at times.

"And when we have conceded, we’ve had a great chance to equalise soon after and not taken it. That all compounds the bad feeling.

"We have to overcome that. We have to be a team that goes, ‘right, if this happens, we still crack on’. We can’t just be hoping that everything goes great. Let’s be honest, you don’t have games of football like that.

"Someone’s going to make a mistake, something is going to go against you. You have to be good enough to overcome all those things that can happen.

"But it takes time to create that belief and mentality. We’re working hard with some really good characters to try and make that happen.”

Barrow, managed by former FC Halifax Town boss Pete Wild, pictured, have won their last three matches against City and there was late drama in the Yorkshire club's last visit to Holker Street when they lost 3-2. The Bluebirds have lost just three times at home in the league this term.