Bradford City 2 Port Vale 0

Martin Foyle swallowed his disappointment and made a beeline for Donovan Ricketts after the final whistle.

Port Vale's boss extended a hand to the Jamaican and told him: "Well played, big fella. I haven't seen two better saves in my life."

The two super stops Foyle was referring to from Akpo Sodje and Danny Whitaker were just as vital ingredients in City's first win for five games as the second-half goals themselves.

The block from midfielder Whitaker was absolutely crucial, coming in the three-minute period between Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and David Graham converting at the other end.

An immediate response to Bridge-Wilkinson's opener would have punctured the mood just as City were ready to slip into another gear.

They managed to do that but only thanks to their athletic goalkeeper stretching out his fingertips and turning Whitaker's shot, which was bound for the bottom corner, a few inches the other side of the post.

Straight away, City were back on the attack and doubling their lead and the points had been sewn up - but not without a major assist from the "big fella".

After the frustration of the last four games, this was an all-round job well done as the Bantams got back on track.

Colin Todd had asked for points over performance and he was delighted to be rewarded with both.

But the biggest satisfaction came from the zero in the visitors' goal column, the first time this season that City have managed to keep the back door slammed shut at Valley Parade.

The home form has been good - no, compared with recent years, we should rephrase that and say the home form has been excellent - but the one nagging doubt has been the inability to prevent the opposition nicking at least one goal.

Breaking that duck will do wonders for confidence, not just among the back four but the team as a whole and Ricketts in particular.

By his high standards of last year, the keeper has had an indifferent start to the campaign; nothing to seriously worry about but he had not been hitting the heights which City fans have become accustomed to.

There was a glimpse of the old form on Tuesday with a blinding effort to deny Carlisle's Zigor Aranalde in stoppage time.

And on Saturday, it looked like business as usual with big saves, a trademark dribble round the opposing centre forward - even the kicking went right, apart from one early excpetion which he got away with.

Ricketts had made the point in midweek that City had to start keeping clean sheets. This was a big step in the right direction.

A broad grin as he slipped over in front of the away end after taking a goal kick said it all.

There were plenty of other reasons to smile from a performance that revived the early optimism that had been starting to fade after the last few results.

Vale are not on the best of runs and don't travel well but they are a lively outfit with a front two who had already bagged 11 goals between them and could not be taken lightly.

But City were well worth the victory, which could and should have been more emphatic as they carved a string of chances in the one-way traffic of the last 20 minutes.

Vale frontmen Sodje and Leon Constan-tine had the opportunities to threaten Ricketts early on but wasted them and the visitors were in trouble once defender Colin Miles saw red just after the half-hour mark.

Dean Windass sold Steve Schumacher a little short with his chest pass but the ball was still never there to be won by Miles. He thundered in regardless, high and late, to send the City midfielder buckling in a heap.

Bridge-Wilkinson was straight in Miles' face and other team-mates raced in to confront him as referee Scott Mathieson fumbled for his cards.

Mathieson has a lenient reputation and only sent off one player last season but he had no doubts about this one and Miles was sent packing.

Todd said: "It looked a two-footed challenge. The manner in which their player went in dictated to the ref that it had to be a straight red."

Foyle felt City played their part in influencing the official - "they used their experience to get straight in there and stir it up" - but he had no real complaints after his left back's hot-headedness.

"I'm disappointed with him because I could see that rash challenge was about to happen," said the Vale boss.

"Their lad had a little go at him just before and sometimes you can feel these things in football."

City had been the sharper side before the sending-off, with Bridge-Wilkinson so close to a goal against his former club inside the first four minutes.

And Lee Holmes, back from his ankle injury, had just needed a touch too many as he burst into the box on the end of a cute through-ball from Graham.

Vale, like Carlisle, had lined up in a 4-3-3 formation but losing the left back changed everything. They struggled to keep the lid on City's hungry attack and the livewire Jermaine Johnson in particular.

JJ's obsession at wanting to cut inside all the time can be frustrating but there is no doubt the winger has frightening pace and, when he gets it right, there is no scarier sight for defenders.

Todd clearly had no worries as he left the dug-out for the press box to watch the second half. No doubt, he wanted a better glimpse of the fun to follow.

Johnson was at the forefront with two rapier-like thrusts and it needed a fine save from Mark Goodlad to prevent his second goal for the club.

Then Nathan Doyle, who is also no slouch, raced down the flank and whipped in a superb ball that begged to be knocked home.

The pressure was building up and Graham, putting a convincing case to be the "other" striker, screwed a header towards the keeper.

City's hard work paid off in the 61st minute from a move begun by a glorious pass from Schumacher to release Johnson. The initial cross was too deep but Holmes retrieved it and Bridge-Wilkinson tore in to the near post to meet the return.

That should have seen off the visitors but Ricketts superbly plucked away Whitaker's cross-shot and provided the platform for a killer second goal.

Again Holmes was the instigator on the left flank, though his low centre was helped by a Vale deflection which sent the ball bobbling across the six-yard box and against the far post.

With Goodlad scrambling, there was Graham to do what all good strikers should and sniff out a goal from a couple of feet. Hardly one for the scrapbook but forwards thrive on goals and it will have done the Scot's confidence no harm at all.

Ricketts produced some nifty footwork to frustrate Constantine once again but then it was all City until the final whistle.

Another Doyle cross went begging as Holmes somehow shot wide from close range and Graham was an inch away from a second after being set up by substitute Joe Colbeck.

Nobody deserved a goal more than Johnson and Windass let him go hunting for one. Turning one way then the other, the Jamaican wriggled towards the target but Goodlad's left leg managed to keep him out.

And there was still time for Bridge-Wilkinson to set off on one last barn-storming run and smash the post.