CITY 1 SCUNTHORPE 0

THE Stephen Darby showreel on Youtube is going to need updating.

It is 17 months since City made a tribute video with clips of Darby’s derring-do in front of his own goal.

That followed two spectacular clearances off the line in a win at Preston. The minute-long recording showed five in all with varying levels of acrobatics from the skipper to keep the ball out.

Darby was at it again on Saturday – even if he admitted that this time was more by luck than judgement.

No wonder Phil Parkinson reckons his captain has got a “sixth sense” in the City goal-mouth.

On another afternoon of small margins, Darby’s contribution in denying Paddy Madden in the first half was every bit as crucial to the end result as Steve Davies’ latest spectacular entry from the bench.

Scunthorpe were enjoying their liveliest spell of a tight game and Valley Parade was twitching.

Ben Williams saved well from Madden at his near post but tricky winger Hakeeb Adelakun, who punished City with a late, late equaliser last season, threatened to inflict more damage as he picked the ball back up.

A weaving run took him past James Meredith and three or four claret and amber shirts into the box.

But Darby, his antenna on full alert to the danger, slid to block his shot in front of the inviting net.

Still, the threat was alive as Madden latched on to the rebound to fire through Nathan Clarke. But there was the right back just getting up off the ground to keep out his best efforts.

Darby admitted: “As I turned round, he struck the second shot so quick. Fortunately enough for me I was in the right place at the right time.

“You need everything going for you at this stage of the season.”

What’s that saying about fortune favouring the brave?

Parkinson had no doubts Darby was more than worthy of his slice of good fortune.

“He’s got a sixth sense in the box when you’re defending,” said the City boss. “The amount of times he’s done that is really incredible.

“I think there’s a video on Youtube somewhere of all his heroic goal-line clearances. He typifies everything you want in a player and was fantastic again.”

But it’s not just Darby showing the powers of intuition right now. The team seem to know just the way to keep finding a result to further strengthen their top-six ambitions.

A third 1-0 win in the space of eight days and now five victories in six; the run is being timed to perfection.

This was arguably the most impressive of any in the current streak.

Scunthorpe bowled up in West Yorkshire brimming with confidence on the back of their own eight-game unbeaten run and fresh from smacking six past Swindon.

And it was ten years since they left Valley Parade empty-handed.

They offered a proper examination of City’s play-off credentials – and the home side were not found wanting.

Even in a first half when the Bantams looked off the pace at times, they bent but did not break.

Darby’s moment of inspiration made sure of that as Williams homed in on a 23rd clean sheet – an astonishing statistic given that City started the season with only two from their first 13 outings.

The win ensured they have already topped last year’s final points tally. Another tick in the box for the record of continued progress season-on-season with Parkinson.

With Barnsley otherwise engaged at Wembley, City managed to stretch the gap on seventh place to five points and piled the pressure on the Tykes to respond.

Before the game, Parkinson had refused to rule out anyone in the chasing group. But barring a major collapse along the final straight, it is now hard to put a case for any of the teams beneath Barnsley to make up the necessary ground.

If anything, City could even start looking upwards and dare to dream. Walsall in third are only a point ahead – and still have to come to Valley Parade later this month.

And could we even contemplate the second automatic spot where Burton continue to falter? That’s nine points away – the same gap that separates the Bantams from the likes of Sheffield United the other way – but maybe, just maybe …

The main focus will remain on rubber-stamping play-off qualification and Parkinson has never been one for allowing anyone to put their head in the clouds.

But the players knew themselves that Saturday’s first half had not been good enough. Without the need for managerial prompting, they were well aware that standards had to be lifted.

The improvement after the break was yet more proof of a team with the bit between their teeth.

Barring one scramble when Madden’s control betrayed him six yards from goal, Scunthorpe ceased to be an attacking threat.

City, on the other hand, grew and grew. Lee Evans, enjoying an impressive return after his international sojourns with Wales under-21s, and Josh Cullen resumed their control on central matters.

The crowd could sense something coming when Parkinson made his first changes midway through the half.

The substitution bingo always decrees that James Hanson and Steve Davies will appear when Jamie Proctor and Billy Clarke have run their race.

If that was entirely predictable, nobody could have seen the immediate impact the new strike pair would have.

Hanson jumped with David Mirfin for James Meredith’s throw-in and the defender’s panicky touch diverted the ball into the path of Davies to pounce at the near post. The stop-watches in the press box made it 38 seconds from the moment they entered the fray!

The pressure valve released, City could have increased their tally but Luke Daniels saved outstandingly from Evans – he had denied him with the best shot of the first half as well – and rather fortuitously from Davies, who also had a goal disallowed following a handball.

That point-blank block with his legs well into stoppage time came from a Filipe Morais cross, the Portuguese having earned the second loudest cheer of the day when he emerged from nine months of injury exile.

Morais wasn’t simply on for a sentimental wave to the fans. He had already tested Daniels with a blast from the edge of the box before weaving into space to set up Davies.

Back and firing as City’s season heads towards a potentially thrilling conclusion. Right place at the right time indeed.