CITY 2 ROCHDALE 2

TONY McMahon is fast becoming Bradford City’s answer to Mezut Ozil.

The Arsenal playmaker extraordinaire has a whopping 17 assists in the Premier League title race.

But McMahon is hot on his heels after another double saved the day at Valley Parade.

The cross for Rory McArdle’s tap-in and corner for Steve Davies to power home means he has now set up 15 City goals this season.

With five of his own, McMahon has been directly involved in 20 of the 46 they have scored in all competitions.

No wonder assistant boss Steve Parkin steered the praise in his direction after City had twice come from behind to thwart a spirited Rochdale.

“Some people dislike it that we haven’t got a tricky winger on the right-hand side,” he said. “But you don’t need to be tricky with his quality.

“He puts good balls into the box and doesn’t have to go past anybody because he’s got good intelligence. He’s contributing every single game.

“He’s a smashing lad and a larger-than-life character. His ego takes a bit of controlling at times but in the right way.”

McMahon was a key figure as City scrambled back to grab a point and ensure it will only be new dad McArdle suffering sleepless nights in the next few days.

There would have been plenty of tossing and turning over a wasted opportunity if a week that had featured two faith-restoring victories ended with a home defeat against traditionally awkward opponents.

As it was, the draw seemed like an acceptable return after the home side had made hard work of their afternoon.

Rochdale’s visits to Valley Parade always tend to present tricky obstacles but City didn’t help themselves. The control they had displayed against Peterborough and Southend was lacking in their play and careless errors crept in.

Josh Cullen’s steadying presence at the fulcrum of the team was an obvious miss and replacement Billy Knott failed to take the chance to stake his claim.

Time appears to be running out for a player whose contract is up in the summer. With opportunities restricted by Cullen’s arrival, this was the game for him to take matters by the scruff of the neck.

Knott has been searching for form since his last big display against Coventry in November and that hunt continues after another lack-lustre effort.

To his credit, he did not hide away after his mistake which led to Rochdale’s second goal. Once he had given his head a shake, he saw plenty of the ball in the closing stages.

But it is still not happening for him and you have to wonder if it will again at Valley Parade.

So where City had clamped down on Peterborough’s diamond the previous weekend, Rochdale employed a similar approach with far greater success.

It produced too many anxious moments around a previous impregnable home goal. The warning signs were there from the second minute when giant defender Niall Canavan, making his loan debut from Scunthorpe, headed over from three yards.

Ten minutes later, Joe Rafferty angled a cross from the right and Joe Bunney slipped between the two centre halves to nod into the corner.

As Bunney ridiculously milked it in front of the Kop, the air was filled with invective and collective frustration at another slow start.

But McMahon had at least forced a theatrical save from Josh Lillis with a free-kick. And predictably it was City’s assist machine who laid on the leveller just before the break.

Rochdale were caught napping by a quick free-kick. Lee Evans tapped to Knott, he drew two blue shirts and reversed a pass for the overlapping McMahon.

His low cross put the goal on a plate – and fittingly it was McArdle there to “wet the baby’s head” by tapping in a goal for new-born son Alexander.

He celebrated with the well-rehearsed “rocking baby” routine alongside team-mates Reece Burke, James Hanson and Wes Thomas.

“I know it’s a bit of a stereotype but we’d mentioned it before the game,” said McArdle.

“I generally don’t get too many goals, so I said ‘let’s do it anyway’ if someone else scores. I’ve been on a high all week so to get one just topped it off.”

If City were going to complete a come-from-behind victory, they’d have to do it without Hanson.

He failed to reappear for the second half after taking a whack above his eye jumping for a ball with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

Steve Davies, once more, had the stage to prove he is worth more than understudy duties.

But Bunney was determined to reinforce his status as public enemy number one by restoring Dale’s advantage five minutes after the restart.

Knott came out second best in a challenge five yards inside his own half and Gary Lund fed Bunney for a ferocious drive that beat Ben Williams in the bottom corner.

A familiar feeling of despair hung over Valley Parade as Rochdale looked on course for a fourth win in their last five trips.

If anything, the visitors fancied a third goal as defensive indecision reigned.

But then McMahon took matters into his own hands once more.

Combining with Stephen Darby, he forced another corner – and put it just where Davies wanted to bullet home the header.

City looked for a third and Lillis had to be alert to keep out an in-swinging Evans free-kick before becoming the punchline in a moment of McMahon slapstick which saw the City man booked after throwing himself to the ground.

But a winning goal always looked more likely at the other end.

Rochdale, still sensing more joy from their out-of-sorts hosts, threw on Grant Holt and former City player of the year David Syers.

Williams denied Bunney a hat-trick with a superb save then journeyman Holt, wearing a Dale shirt for the first time in ten years, nearly rewarded the away fans serenading him with the faintest of touches from a Bunney cross that grazed the far post.

Dale boss Keith Hill made a fair point when he claimed that nobody could have argued if the visitors had taken all the points.

Meanwhile, City were grateful to have rescued something to add to their six from earlier in the week. But the play-off talk being bandied around in some quarters following those results will have cooled.