PHIL Parkinson was furious with City’s first-half flop after they slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Oldham today.

The Bantams never recovered from conceding twice in the first 20 minutes. Andy Halliday pulled one back right on half-time but Rory McArdle’s late sending-off put the cap on a miserable day at Boundary Park.

Parkinson fumed : “We were physically second best all over the pitch in the first half.

“We’d spoken about the intensity of their starts and how Coventry had been caught cold by that (on Tuesday).

“We had to make sure we didn’t let that happen to us and we had to be physically ready. But too many players came up second best.

“I’ve got to look at myself and I assure the supporters I always do that.

“The lads have gone out and done exactly the opposite to what we’ve asked them to do. Physically Oldham were ready for it and we weren’t.”