Hannah from heaven as Bradford City striker's prayers are answered (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Jubilant Ross Hannah scores first goal at Valley Parade to end Bantams' 16-year FA Cup jinx

7:50am Monday 5th December 2011 in Bantams By Simon Parker

Bradford City 3 AFC Wimbledon 1

Ross Hannah has waited too long to let his shot at pro football slip through his fingers.

So you won’t find a more positive person in the Valley Parade dressing room than the 25-year-old former landscape gardener.

And now the striker finally believes City can churn out the results to back up his optimism.

As far as Hannah is concerned, the season starts here.

Hannah notched his first home goal for the club to put them on the way to a first second-round FA Cup win since 1995.

His afternoon may have ended half an hour early with a painful bruised shin after being clattered by Wimbledon keeper Seb Brown but nothing could knock the smile off his face – or his belief that a corner is being turned.

Hannah said: “We’ve got a different mentality now. The penny is starting to drop that we need to pull ourselves out of where we are in the league.

“We’ve been good in the cups all along but the consistency is beginning to come.

“I’ve always felt it was only a matter of time. Our season’s been stop-start up to now but hopefully this is the end of it.

“We’re into the third round for the first time in a long time. Now to get into the area final of the JPT and pick up some league points against Plymouth and Southend.

“We had the same team who played at Gillingham and it showed that none of us want to lose the shirts. That’s what it’s all about.

“There’s no chance of me giving mine up. They’ll have to rip it off me!”

Hannah’s attitude typified the feelgood spirit that swept away the demons of previous FA Cup disappointments.

This was a performance at odds with some of the anaemic efforts City have served up in the most famous of competitions down the years.

From the moment that Hannah pounced from close range, there was only going to be one winner.

Wimbledon’s impressive vocal support in the Midland Road stand never translated into decent resistance on the pitch. The team with the legendary cup pedigree never turned up.

City deserve credit for that for not allowing the visitors to settle and dictate play as they had done when the sides last met at Valley Parade in September.

Phil Parkinson enjoyed the luxury of naming an unchanged side. It was the first time he had done that since the week before the previous Wimbledon game at Crawley.

The starting line-up had earned another crack for their efforts against Gillingham. And, for once, City backed up one good display with another.

Same team, same performance.

The solidity that had been abundant in Kent was present again. You cannot underestimate the difference that the likes of Andrew Davies, Simon Ramsden and Ricky Ravenhill have made to toughen up the team.

The back four were rock solid while Ravenhill and Michael Flynn controlled the middle, allowing Craig Fagan and Kyel Reid to pose a duel threat on the flanks.

The combination of Fagan’s guile and Reid’s explosive pace kept Wimbledon’s hands full for most of the afternoon.

And they ensured a good supply line for Hannah and James Hanson, who importantly reminded the home fans what an effective targetman he can be on his day.

It was Hanson’s cushioned header from a Fagan cross that set up Hannah for the breakthrough after nine minutes. Hannah showed his fox-in-the-box qualities to snap up the chance from close range.

And City were two up before Wimbledon could clear their heads. They couldn’t clear their lines either as Chris Bush helped the ball into his own net after Ravenhill had done all the work with a surging run.

It looked a case of how many the Bantams would rack up. Every attack threatened something.

Luke Moore fluffed a rare opening at the other end but City were enjoying a control of proceedings at odds with many of their Valley Parade struggles this season.

Hannah, in his own words, could have gone off with a hat-trick ball.

A glancing header was tipped away by Brown and he was clattered by the keeper after a great piece of control to bring down Jon McLaughlin’s long clearance had put him clear.

Hannah managed to get off a shot before the collision came and was left in a heap as the ball trickled narrowly wide. He’ll be back for more though at Oldham tomorrow night, you can bet on it.

He should have earned a penalty straight after the restart when Jamie Stuart wrestled him to the ground, John Cena style. But referee Nigel Miller, who Parkinson diplomatically thought had a “laid-back” game, saw nothing wrong.

That non-call looked significant when Wimbledon halved the deficit within three minutes. Marcel Seip, again playing at left back, was caught the wrong side of Jack Midson by Ricky Wellard’s pass and the striker fired across McLaughlin.

For a couple of minutes, a sense of forboding seemed to descend. But it was gone just as quickly.

Luke Oliver made an important block in front of goal after McLaughlin’s poor left-footed clearance but there was no serious danger of an equaliser.

And the game’s one-sided pattern was restored 20 minutes from time when Nahki Wells, on for Hannah, was tugged down by Stuart after good work from Reid. This time the Wimbledon skipper was penalised and Fagan thrashed the spot-kick into the roof of the net.

McLaughlin saved well from Wellard but City were still pushing forward for more in the closing minutes. They were all out to make their point and Jack Compton – back in from the cold – sparkled with a late cameo which almost brought a fourth.

“Everyone can feel that things are starting to change,” smiled Hannah afterwards. If Saturday was anything to go by, he may just be right.