Bristol City 2 Bradford City 2

A compilation DVD of Rory McArdle’s goals would not contain much variety.

Here’s a header at the near post, and another, and one more, ad infinitum. In terms of the type of finish, it’s fair to say you’ve seen one and probably seen them all.

It’s become a running joke within the dressing room that McArdle does not score any other way. Not that anyone will ever get bored with these repeats.

They all count – and the goals that the defender puts away are always significant. Aston Villa, Wembley, the Easter Monday equaliser at Torquay which sparked the late promotion charge ... none of them were meaningless fillers when the result was already beyond doubt.

And now he can add the second equaliser at Ashton Gate which ensured that City began their 100th season of league football – and first in the third tier since 2007 – with a hard-earned and richly-deserved point.

Ironically McArdle was not immediately aware of where his flick header from Raffaele De Vita’s corner had ended up. The momentum of the run had carried him over the advertising boards and he only realised it was a goal when a posse of blue shirts charged his way to celebrate.

McArdle was quick to praise the “spot-on” delivery from debutant De Vita, who once again highlighted the growing supply of set-piece takers within City’s ranks.

Few teams are collectively taller than Phil Parkinson’s men so the more crosses the merrier. With the summer arrival of De Vita, Mark Yeates and Jason Kennedy to add to Gary Jones and Kyel Reid, the big guys should not struggle for service.

“We’ve got some big boys in the team,” said McArdle. “I know if I go to the near post and miss then Dava (Andrew Davies) is behind me or Thommo (Garry Thompson) and Hans (James Hanson) will be in there.

“There are a lot of lads who like heading a ball and will go and attack it.

“We practise it a lot in training and it’s brilliant when that pays off. Yeatesy put a couple of great balls in during the first half and then Raf came on for him and put one right on the money.”

The draw ensured City bucked a trend of four successive first-day defeats.

The form book had probably pointed to a stalemate given that Bristol City had also gone without a winning start since 2008.

But that would undersell the determination of the visitors and their refusal to buckle after twice going behind to opponents who are strongly tipped to be in the promotion shake-up.

Bristol City have undergone major change since relegation but there is quality in their make-up. The unsure defending may have borne the mental scars from last season but with the ball they are a real handful.

There was no Albert Adomah, City’s long-term nemesis in his Barnet days, as he pushes for a move to either Wigan or Middlesbrough.

But Scott Wagstaff, a recent target for Parkinson, and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas provided the guile to keep the visitors on their toes. And centre forward Sam Baldock was clearly an intelligent step or two up on what they have become used to facing in League Two.

The way the Bantams came through a tentative opening to match them backed up the feeling that they will hack it at the next level.

According to one national newspaper’s ins and outs on Saturday morning, Andrew Davies and Nathan Doyle had both gone in the summer.

Wishful thinking from their rivals maybe as both were very much at the heart of this encouragingly composed opening performance. Doyle, in particular, was a considerable presence in midfield, where the benefits of a proper pre-season under his belt were clear with the way he got around the pitch.

City maintained the momentum from last season’s charge over the line to the delight of their 1,072 noisy travelling fans. The Midland Road anthem boomed out with pride in a second half which saw the natty new blue away shirts camped in home territory.

The fans almost had a goal to cheer inside five minutes as Nahki Wells rattled a post with his header from a Yeates free-kick, firing the rebound into the ground and over the bar.

But that was an isolated attack as the visitors took time to settle into their new loftier surroundings.

Bristol City’s attack were asking difficult questions and soon made the breakthrough. Emmanuel-Thomas found his route blocked off on the edge of the box but the ball broke for Wagstaff to score off a post.

The irony of conceding to a player who could well have been lining up for the Bantams would not have been lost on Parkinson.

For a while, City were caught in the headlights as the hosts probed for a second. But the uncertainty passed and they hit back with an equaliser which owed as much to cool heads as Bristol City goalkeeper Frank Fielding losing his.

Fielding, the keeper that Stuart McCall long coveted in his Valley Parade reign, made a mad dash out of his area to confront a rampaging Hanson.

The striker muscled his way wide and then showed composure to resist the temptation of a shot from a very difficult angle and pick out Wells instead.

The Bermudian duly picked off the first of his 30-goal target with a confident finish between the legs of defender Liam Fontaine on the line.

Back on terms, City began the second half with the bit between their teeth – only to come unstuck again from Bristol’s first attack of intent. Baldock linked up tidily with Emmanuel-Thomas, who beat Jon McLaughlin as the defenders held off.

To fall behind again after such a positive spell of play could have burst the bubble. Instead it gave City another chance to show that indomitable streak that Parkinson has forged.

Sean O’Driscoll, as wily a manager as any in the league, acknowledged the strength of team spirit within the Bantams ranks and talked afterwards about trying to engender that in his own side. As we saw last year, that close bond and belief in everyone around can take you a very long way.

The City fans sensed it as they continued to belt out their songs. Their team was far from beaten.

Wells continued to pull Bristol City around with his movement and Doyle went close with a snap volley.

The reward came with 11 minutes to go as De Vita, the winger Parkinson homed in on when Wagstaff chose Bristol over Bradford, picked out McArdle. And you know the rest.

Neither team was content to settle for the draw and chances flowed in a frantic finale. De Vita should have buried a close-range volley then McLaughlin’s knees denied Greg Cunningham.

Frantic, exciting stuff enjoyed by all who had made the trip from West Yorkshire. On first impressions, there could be plenty more of the same to follow.