Crawley Town 1 Bradford City 3: Bantams take charge in second-half blitz

City broke the deadlock five minutes after the break when James Hanson fired the ball home after a sweeping move involving Felipe Morais, Jason Kennedy and Stephen Darby.

Crawley were soon level as Bradford switched off from a Sonny Bradley corner allowing Joe Walsh to head home.

But City were back in the lead just past the hour mark, Billy Knott receiving a return pass from Mason Bennett on the edge of the area and thrashing the ball home first time.

Kennedy hit the bar with a shot on the turn before Bradford bagged their third with 13 minutes remaining, Hanson flicking the ball on for Bennett who waited for Matt Jensen to commit himself before lifting the ball over the keeper and into the net.

For all their good passing, City were restricted to long-range efforts in the first half, Morais and the impressive Gary Liddle both firing over. But they should have had a 23rd-minute penalty when a Knott volley struck the outstretched arms of Lanre Oyebanjo, but the referee gave a corner.

Bradford’s Jordan Pickford made three good saves, one from teammate Liddle as the ball skimmed off his head.

Crawley Town: Jenson; Oyebanjo, Leacock, Walsh, Bradley (Banya 72); Edwards (Henderson 58), Smith, Bawling, Dickson; McLeod, Tomlin. Unused substitutes: Young, Essam, Rose, O’Connor, Richefond

Bradford City: Pickford, Darby, McArdle, Davies, Sheehan, Liddle, Kennedy, Knott (Dolan 80), Morais (Yeates 72), Mclean (Bennett 46), Hanson. Unused substitutes: Williams, Meredith, Routis, McBurnie

Referee: C Berry (Surrey).