City 1, Accrington Stanley 1

No one at Valley Parade is likely to be quoting the “Accrington Stanley! Who are they?” line from that 1980s milk advert that once belittled the Lancashire club.

It’s more than 54 years since the Bantams last beat Saturday’s opponents on their own patch. They may not have played them many times during that period but this point made it two draws and a win for Stanley in the last three seasons at the division’s biggest ground.

The visitors may have been in the UniBond League when City were in the Premier League but they are a firmly established League Two outfit now, as illustrated by a run of only one defeat in seven games and a place in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy semi-finals.

But City need to be beating such sides at home if they are to be promotion contenders – and it looked like they were going to when, with the score at 1-1, the assistant referee spotted a handball from Bobby Grant at a corner with just two minutes to go.

However, having twice enjoyed penalty shoot-out success in the JP Trophy this season, this time there was penalty pain.

Gareth Evans – who was not involved in either of those cup ties – struck his effort hard but just wide of the right-hand post.

That’s twice now that City have missed from the spot in open play this campaign, Michael Flynn having also failed against Lincoln, and both times it has cost them points.

There was enough drama in a frantic final five minutes to satisfy the neutral for the whole game but that will mean nothing to City fans, who were left to contemplate their fifth draw in eight league games.

After Evans had missed, Stanley broke on the counter-attack as Grant found himself clean through with the chance to go from villain to hero but Simon Eastwood blocked his shot when he looked favourite to score.

It was the second vital save the on-loan youngster had made, having pushed a John Miles shot round the post earlier in the half.

Play swung back to the other end as substitute Michael Boulding lashed a shot against the post and James Hanson headed the rebound agonisingly wide.

There was more excitement to come as Evans thought he had redeemed himself when he blasted home from just inside the box but the official blew for a handball from Boulding, a verdict the player admitted was a fair call.

It was one of the few occasions the City players, management and fans were in agreement with referee Steve Cook in the second half, his decision-making having been mystifying to say the least.

City seemed to be on the wrong end of much of it, not least when Zesh Rehman appeared to be fouled by Grant before he laid the ball off to Michael Symes for the equaliser after 55 minutes.

But take nothing away from the former City striker, whose clinical left-foot finish from the edge of the box capped an impressive display.

On the balance of play, it was probably a deserved equaliser for a Stanley side who had started the better after the interval, even though James Hanson0 had forced a point-blank save from Ian Dunbavin a minute earlier after good work from Evans and Lee Bullock.

With the pitch – which had held up well following the purchase of special drainage equipment in midweek – starting to cut up as the rain intensified, McCall brought on fresh legs as Simon Whaley replaced Scott Neilson for the first game of his six-week loan spell from Norwich.

Along with the introduction of the razor-sharp Michael Boulding – who, based on this cameo, has finally seen off the virus which has plagued him – the pair gave City fresh impetus.

Whaley almost made a dream start when he flashed a shot just wide of the far post and Simon Ramsden put Boulding through, only for Dunbavin to save well again.

Then came that frenetic finale which no one would have predicted after a largely uneventful first half.

Neither goal had been threatened in a major way when City took the lead after 20 minutes. Ramsden played an inviting ball down the right wing for Flynn, whose teasing cross into the box was missed by Hanson but defender Phil Edwards inadvertently knocked it in.

The Bantams almost made it two five minutes before the break when a header from Evans was cleared off the line following Luke O’Brien’s dangerous corner.

City boss Stuart McCall reflected: “It’s disappointing. We know we need to turn these draws into three points, especially when you go a goal up at half-time.

“I am frustrated but after the penalty miss they went up the other end and had a one-on-one, so you could look at it both ways. We could be sat here with no points or we could be sat here with three.

“I thought second half they came at us a bit more but I would honestly say a lot of that was down to some strange refereeing decisions that were giving them free-kicks in certain areas which were putting us under pressure and on the back foot. But we can’t blame the referee for missing the penalty.

“The ref is a young lad and it’s a tough job but I know they (Accrington) weren’t happy with him coming in at half-time. I’m sure they’ve given him a ‘bit’ and who’s to know how that’s affected him. But I just thought second half, some of the decisions were incredible.”

Attendance: 11,176