Ed over heels at equaliser

It was not exactly the result David Wetherall would have hoped for to mark 300 league games in a City shirt.

But at least Eddie Johnson's second-half header ensured the skipper's milestone had a happier ending.

Johnson goals are like buses and come along together. For the second time this season he has scored in back-to-back games.

Mark Bower had celebrated ten years as a City player at the weekend with a win and a clean sheet. Lively visitors Barnet made sure his central-defensive partner could not enjoy the same scenario.

There may have been little resting on the outcome in league terms but the fans were certainly up for it from the off with the early exchanges accompanied by a constant chorus of "Stuart McCall's Bradford army" from the Kop.

They were nearly rewarded when Omar Daley's teasing cross proved just too high for Johnson, who was again partnering Barry Conlon up front.

City almost suffered a self-inflicted blow after ten minutes when Bower and Scott Loach both went for the same ball in the six-yard box and collided. Bower stayed down as the danger was temporarily cleared and there were loud boos as Barnet refused to put the ball out and carried on playing until Anthony Thomas shot over.

City knew all about Jason Puncheon's shooting prowess after his stunning free-kick at Underhill in September. But his right foot proved nowhere near as deadly as the left as he totally skewed an effort from 20 yards.

Some slack defending from Ben Starosta allowed Adam Birchall in for the first genuine opportunity after 19 minutes. Having brushed off the right back too easily, Birchall found Loach a sterner test as the big keeper was out quickly to block.

City responded with a slick passing move and Colbeck delivered an inviting cross that was just flicked away from Conlon's waiting head by the penalty spot.

Daley showed his frustrating side by turning into trouble having already beaten his marker Joe Devera - and within seconds the home crowd was cursing even more as Barnet grabbed the lead.

Again it was hesitant defending that caused their undoing. Thomas unleashed a thunderbolt that flew past Loach and rocked the bar before bouncing back out.

Nobody in a claret and amber shirt reacted to the let-off and Birchall eased between Starosta and Bower before planting a well-placed drive into the bottom corner of the net.

City looked to fashion an immediate response and Johnson peeled off to the right before setting up Kyle Nix on the edge of the area. He wriggled on to his favoured left side but his shot drifted wide.

Colbeck then set off on an exhilarating run through the middle, gliding through three challenges before laying off to Johnson. But the midfielder-cum-striker's shot could not match the build-up and Barnet keeper Lee Harrison remained unchallenged.

The two wingers looked City's best bet but there were groans when Colbeck opted to have a go himself rather than pass to better options and shot weakly at the keeper.

And Barnet should have gone two up six minutes before the break as Thomas' tricky movement again created too much space. He found himself one on one with Loach to the left of the City goal but the keeper again made himself big to pull off another vital block.

Loach had to field another long-range try from Thomas as Barnet's front two continued to revel in their surroundings and the generosity of their hosts.

The crowd's patience was being tested and snapped when Daley switched off twice and cheaply gave away possession.

Stuart McCall had seen enough of the Jamaican's wastefulness as well and Daley did not reappear for the second half. Instead, Luke Medley was given a run-out up front with Johnson returning to his usual central midfield role.

McCall, having watched the first 45 minutes from the stand, was now pitchside to direct operations and no doubt get in a few ears during the slack moments.

The first-half shortcomings had certainly been out of character with the recent upturn in performances. Puncheon served an early warning before the busy Barry Conlon attempted a snap-shot that drifted across goal. Then Conlon's flying header forced a block from Harrison and Wetherall tucked in the rebound but the flag was up for offside against the Irishman.

But at least City had picked it up again and Johnson ghosted into the box to glance a header wide from Paul Heckingbottom's cross.

Nicky Nicolau's slice landed to Medley in exactly the same spot where he scored his wonder goal against Wrexham but his ambitious attempt to repeat that flew wide.

City were protesting with the officials again as Nix went down in the box under pressure from two blue shirts.

Heckingbottom's control let him down as he shaped to shoot which allowed Barnet to counter quickly again from their own half. But fortunately for City, Max Porter's pass to the unmarked Birchall was too hefty.

McCall decided it was time for another fresh face and Willy Topp came on for Penford. The Chilean, who is waiting for a date to go under the surgeon's knife within the next week, slotted in on the left side.

Bower was just edged out from a City corner and then Wetherall earned a cheer with a couple of touchline step-overs that Cristiano Ronaldo would have been proud of. But there was still no real sign of an equaliser, with Harrison's goal pretty much untested.

That all changed with 15 minutes left as Medley finally forced the keeper into a proper save at the expense of a corner.

It was to prove costly for Barnet, as Colbeck's kick was met by Johnson's deft near-post header to level.

The midfielder/striker's second goal in four days transformed the atmosphere and now City were sensing all three points.

Colbeck, in particular, had a spring in his step and created blind panic in the Barnet rearguard before Conlon's misplaced pass intended for Medley eased the danger.

It should have been 2-1 after 81 minutes as Barnet were again cut open.

Conlon dinked a first-time ball to the far post where Medley allowed it to bounce instead of going for the header and Topp flicked over the bar as his team-mate's close presence put him off.

Then it was Barnet's turn to almost pinch it with four minutes left when two players beat the offside trap from Neil Bishop's pass.

Fortunately, Birchall could not get enough height on his attempted lob and Loach caught it comfortably.

In a wide-open finish, Conlon's header was saved at one end and Puncheon lashed over at the other.