City 2 Gillingham 2

GROUNDHOG Day arrived two days late at Valley Parade. Even a change of shirt to the one-off fourth kit adorned by the names of fans could not provide a difference in home fortune.

February 2 is the big day for Pennsylvanian Germans to look out for the first groundhog to emerge and decide from its reaction to the weather how quickly the spring will begin.

I'm not sure if Edin Rahic or Stefan Rupp are aware of such customs but the picture for City remains frustratingly cloudy. Some things, it seems, never change.

City are still unbeaten on their own increasingly cut-up turf but Gillingham became the tenth visiting side to go away with a share of the spoils.

The fact that there were goals was no surprise – the Kent side have not kept a clean sheet on their League One travels since last April. Nor should anyone be shocked that City could not force the win despite enjoying so much of the play.

In the last 13 meetings between these regular rivals, the Bantams have only come out on top once – and you have to go back to 2010 for a Valley Parade victory, when Steve Williams scored in the last minute.

Stuart McCall presented an upbeat front at the final whistle and insisted there was much to be pleased with about the performance.

Yet the stark reality shows another two points dropped from supposed home advantage – that's 20 in all. The undefeated tag at Valley Parade, as impressive as that sounds in February, masks a weakness that continues to hold City back in their pursuit of the leading group.

A win on Saturday would have seen the Bantams jump into third place above Bolton, who are the next opposition in BD8 for a fixture that has been viewed with almost pay-per-view proportions since the list was published in the wake of Phil Parkinson's departure.

Before then, City face two road trips to Bristol Rovers and play-off rivals Fleetwood. It is shaping up to be a crucial phase as the promotion contenders limber up for the charge down the final straight.

How McCall's men could have done with taking an extra couple of points into that triple-header against a side who, on the face of it, should have been there for the taking.

Without a win in seven and leaking goals for fun away from the Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham remain on the cusp of the action at the wrong end of the table.

The Gills are arguably League One's biggest under-achievers since falling away from the lofty heights of a year ago when they looked bound for the Championship.

But there are still signs of the team that gave City such a comprehensive lesson to herald in 2016. Bradley Dack, the flavour of the month at that point, demonstrated that sparkle once more on Saturday and was the stand-out player on a worryingly poor playing surface.

The home pitch did City no favours and their attempts to move the ball quickly were often undone by a difficult bounce. But that cannot be used as an excuse for the lack of reaction for both Gillingham goals.

McCall was particularly frustrated with the opener because it was something that he had warned his team to guard against. Gillingham used the long throw into the box as a weapon, looking to pounce on the scrappy second ball. City had to be alive to that threat.

Instead, nobody reacted as Ryan Jackson hurled a missile towards the near post, Max Ehmer flicked back and Josh Wright smashed the loose ball into the roof of the net.

A real "banger" as Wright's brother – TOWIE reality star Mark, watching from the crowd – might have put it. But a painful lesson for City for not heeding their manager's warning.

Yet Gillingham's joy proved short-lived as Valley Parade were soon celebrating the goal that everyone had come to see.

All the pre-match hype had surrounded the expensive capture of Charlie Wyke, the striker on the hottest of scoring runs. He had already shown up well by putting himself about in the early skirmishes but this was his big moment.

Mark Marshall swung in the sort of cross that centre forwards dream about and Wyke did the rest with a cushioned header back inside the near post.

The place erupted and Tony McMahon, Wyke's travel companion from the north-east, jokingly offered up a boot for the striker to shine as he had done for two seasons as an apprentice at Middlesbrough.

City threatened to put the boot into Gillingham, who had that familiar sinking feeling from seeing their latest attempt at a shut-out disappear just 15 minutes in.

But they remained a lively threat on the counter-attack. Whatever the misgivings at the back, the visitors were a menace at the other end, where Dack was in string-pulling mood.

Gillingham almost restored their advantage but Colin Doyle made an alert diving save from Rory Donnelly. City did not have their usual grip on central midfield but built up the momentum. Another cross was too high for Wyke but Billy Clarke forced a save from Stuart Nelson.

Then came the breakthrough after Wyke was wrestled to the ground 25 yards from goal. McMahon and Clarke stood over it before the Irishman's left foot held sway.

McMahon, meanwhile, set off on a blindside run past the wall. Nelson did well to touch the dipping free-kick on to the base of the post but there was McMahon perfectly place to divert in the follow-up.

Everything appeared fine at the interval – but three minutes into the second half, that lead had gone. Again a long throw started it and when that was half-cleared, both City centre halves jumped for the same ball as Jackson crossed back in.

Centre half Deji Oshilaja, still loitering from the original set-piece, found himself on his own to half-volley his second goal in successive games.

City still had 90 per cent of the half to come up with a third. Clarke and top scorer Jordy Hiwula, thrown on late for Josh Cullen, both went close in increasingly frantic home pressure.

But the result remained one we have all seen so often before.

Attendance: 18,840