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  • "This was the first game of football I have attended for sometime so I really enjoyed it. Admittedly it wasn't the most excitable game but a win is a win at the end of the day. Good to see big James Hanson get a splendid goal. Onwards and upwards next season and sure Phil Brown will be a happy man come the end of next season."
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Bradford City: Parky happy with scrappy win

7:20am Monday 23rd April 2012 in Bantams Photograph of the Author By Simon Parker , Bradford City Reporter

James Hanson headed the match-winner against Macclesfield from a Craig Fagan free-kick James Hanson headed the match-winner against Macclesfield from a Craig Fagan free-kick

Phil Parkinson wants City to get the knack of winning more scrappy games.

Parkinson admitted Saturday’s victory over bottom club Macclesfield was no Valley Parade classic.

But he would love to see more of the same if his side are to challenge next season.

He said: “You’ve got to have that ability as a team to win those sort of games.

“For a manager and the coaching staff to grind out a 1-0 win that’s not that pretty is great. Macclesfield came here fighting for their lives. They were very strong and solid and we had to deal with that.

“There was a feeling that we’d done the job last week. You could sense it round the ground.

“Sometimes as a team you have to spark the crowd into life and I felt we did that.”

James Hanson headed the only goal from Craig Fagan’s free-kick. Macc striker Ben Mills appeared to get the final touch as he fluffed his attempted clearance on the line but City’s top scorer was claiming his 14th of the season.

The win was City’s third in four games in April as well as another home clean sheet to back up the Good Friday victory over Southend.

Parkinson added: “The back four have to stand strong and do their jobs professionally to scrap out those 1-0s and I thought the defence and goalkeeper gave us the platform to go on and win the game.

“You must have the right attitude. I said to Nahki (Wells) there was no way he was going to be given the freedom of the ground after scoring that hat-trick last week.

“Teams do their homework and make it difficult. So you have to grind out the performance.

“And his persistence in the corner won us the free-kick which we scored from.

“We had that run of (home) games when we played well, probably better than we were allowed to on Saturday, and ended up with just one point each time. That’s the difference.

“Those five draws could have been costly but fortunately they haven’t been. We’ve picked up wins where we needed to.”

Meanwhile City have offered teenage striker Adam Baker a one-year pro deal. Midfielder James Nanje has also been invited back for a pre-season trial.

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