Bradford 1 Fleetwood 0: Rory McArdle nods late winner as City pressure pays in League One play-off first leg

Rory McArdle came up with the goal that gives Bradford a crucial advantage going into Sunday’s second leg at Highbury.

The powerhouse Bantams centre-back broke Fleetwood’s dogged resistance by heading home from Tony McMahon’s 77th minute corner.

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That put boss Stuart McCall’s side in the box seat as they bid to go all the way after being beaten by Millwall in last season’s play-off semi-final.

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Fleetwood arrived at Valley Parade having finished one place above their hosts in the table and without conceding a goal in any of their three previous play-off outings.

Despite that, their boss Uwe Rosler insisted that Bradford were favourites to clinch a Wembley date with either Millwall or Scunthorpe in the final.

The Bantams, who went through the regular season without losing a home league game, welcomed back skipper Roman Vincelot and keeper Colin Doyle after the duo were rested for last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Rochdale.

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Striker Devante Cole returned to the Cod Army starting line-up after recovering from a groin strain, but injured pair Jimmy Ryan and Cian Bolger were still missing.

City just had the better of a fiesty opening and came close to taking a 12th minute lead through Nicky Law, whose fierce low 25-yard drive was turned behind by keeper Alex Cairns going full length to his right.

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Charlie Wyke then planted a close range header straight into the arms of a grateful Cairns before Town’s David Ball was unlucky to land a lovely lob from just outside the box on the roof of the net.

But it was home hit-man Billy Clarke who suffered most before the break with a blistering 20-yard drive that beat Cairns all ends up but cannoned to safety off the foot of a post.

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Cairns was proving to be a defiant last line of defence for the visitors, and he distinguished himself with a flying save to keep out Josh Cullen’s brutal 25-yard free-kick five minutes after the interval.

He was ably aided and abetted by Pond, who marshalled Fleetwood’s rearguard magnificently until McArdle’s dramatic breakthrough.

Reuters

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