BRISTOL ROVERS 1 CITY 1

IT’S tempting to write this report with a simple ‘copy and paste’ on the computer.

What else can you say about the latest episode in a story that has become so familiar for anyone who has watched Bradford City this season.

Goal down away from home? Check. Strong response? Check. Second-half barrage? Check. Draw again? Check.

Trying to find something new from a tale that seemingly gets played out week after week is becoming a challenge in itself.

That’s not being derogatory about the quality of football on display. If games were based on style points, Saturday would have been another “ten from Len”.

In boxing terms, City are the slick operator, smooth and easy on the eye, jab, jab, jab landing every time. But where’s the knock-out punch?

Taken in isolation, a draw away to a Bristol Rovers team that had won five on the bounce on home soil sounds a decent point.

But coming on the back of 14 others already this season, that waters down the impact.

The ifs and buts of those “coulda, woulda, shoulda” games are mounting. But it’s at Valley Parade, rather than outposts such as the Memorial Stadium, where the finger should be pointed.

It’s the points let slip from drawing ten out of 16 on their own patch which could really hurt in the final outcome, rather than an icy rain-swept afternoon at Bristol when City did everything but score again.

For most of the second half, it felt like the Bantams were the home side. Rovers were camped in deep in their own territory urging the clock to run down.

Colin Doyle found himself the only player in the City half at one stage – not a new phenomenon for the keeper by a long chalk – as a game of attack against defence was played out at the other end.

The sight of home stopper Joe Lumley, ultimately the Rovers’ saviour, wasting every second he could to stretch out goal kicks at the end demonstrated how the hosts were willing on the final whistle.

Lumley, to coin a phrase, had an “absolutely fabulous” day – the QPR loanee could seemingly put any random body part in the way and it would stop the ball going in. One of the best came via his backside.

History was also to Rovers’ advantage – City have still to win away after 12 attempts at their various bases. This was only the third point in that run, again a reason to feel more cheerful with this draw than others.

This time last year, they had ended a similarly barren record at Peterborough in emphatic fashion.

That day the Posh were boshed marked the arrival of Josh Cullen, a talismanic figure in City’s league record since then.

So the omens of breaking their Bristol duck were not good when the midfielder did not even make the trip after tweaking his thigh during the last knockings of Thursday’s final practice at Apperley Bridge.

Cullen spent his first City anniversary doing some running at a deserted Woodhouse Grove while his team-mates were delivering another “everything but” display 200 miles away. At least Nathaniel Knight-Percival’s recovery from an ankle injury ensured Stuart McCall could replace him with round pegs in round holes.

Intriguingly, it did mean that McCall named a side made up entirely of City’s “own” players – with no loans.

Romain Vincelot moved forward into midfield and gave his most convincing performance so far in a role where he has surprisingly looked a bit out-of-sorts in the few previous outings there.

With Bristol’s pitch looking like a pristine bowling green compared with many others at this stage, including Valley Parade, McCall wanted his ball players enjoying plenty of possession.

Billy Clarke was employed in his best position as the tip of a midfield diamond with Mark Marshall’s pace ahead of him used centrally alongside Charlie Wyke.

But not for the first time on their travels, City were slow out the blocks.

An early flurry of home corners were negotiated before they found their feet – only to then fall behind to a stunning strike from Chris Lines.

It was a wonderfully-placed curler but the defending in the build-up was questionable.

Colin Doyle did well to foil Ollie Clarke but there was a sluggish air about those in front of him as Rovers kept the ball alive before Lines shifted it from right foot to left and then beyond the keeper.

It was the sixth time in seven away games that the Bantams have conceded first but they responded quickly with a goal of equal quality.

Nicky Law swooped on a loose ball, played it in to Wyke and then continued his run to accept the centre forward’s perfectly-judged back heel and slot past Lumley.

Normal service had resumed as Rory McArdle’s header flashed inches over before a second-half procession towards the Bristol goal.

Right from the restart, Lumley was clawing away Marshall’s cross and then getting something in the way of Tony McMahon’s fierce follow-up.

That was the warm-up act for the keeper’s heroics that followed as Lumley left several City players clutching their heads in frustration.

Clarke was the first as the keeper somehow defied his volley from Wyke’s knockdown. Then his strike partner was bemoaning his luck – and Lumley’s good fortune – with a header that wouldn’t go in.

Knight-Percival found Lumley an impenetrable barrier once more before Clarke sent Marshall away one-on-one on the break but the winger snatched at his opportunity.

By that point, the general mood around the stadium had been lifted by news of Bristol City caving in from a three-goal advantage at Derby.

But how Rovers will miss Matty Taylor’s goal output.

Luke James beavers away, as he showed on occasional glimpses in City colours in the first half of last season, but hasn’t scored at this level for going on two years.

So City could risk leaving the back door ajar as they piled further and further forward.

Unfortunately for all the extra territory and possession, the score remained the same – a carbon copy of so much that has gone on before this campaign.