Coventry 0, City 2: Goals either side of half-time gave Bradford a deserved victory against a disappointing Coventry outfit.

Andy Gray and Claus Jorgensen bagged the strikes against a side lacking imagination who were rightly booed off the pitch.

David Wetherall made a welcome return to the heart of the Bantams defence after coming through an hour of a reserve game this week unscathed.

The former Leeds defender added some much-needed experience to the young side as they went to Highfield Road looking for their first ever win at the ground.

And after nine fruitless visits in the last 80 years here, today represented their best chance yet as they took on a Coventry side who haven't won a game since Boxing Day.

Earlier this season a Jay Bothroyd strike was needed to salvage a point for the Sky Blues following a Paul Evans 25-yarder, but the striker was left on the bench for this encounter.

Bradford opted for three at the back with Wetherall taking the commanding position at the heart of the defensive shield.

A tame long-range Gary Caldwell effort was the most exciting thing to take place in a slow opening five minutes as the two teams made a tentative start to the match.

Coventry seemed to get into their stride earlier with Richie Partidge having another range-finder easily saved by Aidan Davison before Craig Pead dragged one wide after a quickly taken free-kick.

Twelve minutes in and Bradford had their first meaningful spell of the game.

It began when youngster Danny Forrest was fouled on the edge of the box and Wetherall put in a towering header from the far post. Ashley Ward challenged hard for the hanging ball but it was cleared. But before Coventry could get it away, another foul was conceded. This time Lewis Emanuel went for the long-range shot but his effort was deflected wide of the target.

Forrest then had his left-foot volley blocked from a Claus Jorgensen pass as Bradford began to put the home side under the cosh.

Sky Blues fans were uncomfortably quiet on the terraces, clearly punishing their side's recent poor form with a wall of near-silence.

They raised the briefest of cheers when Gary Caldwell volleyed the ball across the goal into Davison's arms, but it was Bradford who deservedly took the lead on the break.

Emanuel snapped at the heels of Gary McAllister until he stole the ball and then pushed upfield. He laid it off to Gray who played it into the secure control of Ward.

In typical fashion the burly striker held off the defenders before poking it through to the rampaging Gray, who neatly slid it past Morten Hyldgaard's left hand for the lead.

Davison had to be smart to deal with a dipping 30-yarder from Julian Joachim, who scored his only goal in 18 months for the club against the Bantams in this fixture last year.

A risky Forrest backpass aside, the Bradford defensive unit looked solid enough as the visitors attempted to take their lead into half-time.

They came ridiculously close to making it two just before the whistle when Ward's header was stopped on the line by Vicente Engonga.

That may have been enough to make some home fans leave, so lacking enthusiasm did they appear to be.

HT: Coventry 0, City 1

The home side clearly got the greater rollicking at the break and came straight out and forced there corners in quick succession.

None led to anything although Matt Jansen should have done better with a header from a free-kick after Gus Uhlenbeek had messily pulled down the tricky left-winger Partridge.

The disappointingly one-dimensional home side continued to persist with the long ball tactic, much to the annoyance of the increasingly impatient home 'support'.

With Coventry doing their best to get back into the game, McAllister pushing himself forward as a third striker, it was a pleasure to see Ward track back and block a Caldwell effort on the edge of the box.

In a season ravaged by injury, the target man seemed to be back to his hard-working, solid line-leading self.

From a corner, Jorgensen, looking bright all afternoon, can count himself tremendously unlucky not to double the lead.

As the cross was half-cleared, the Dane unleashed with a 25-yarder which bounced off the top of the bar and into the crowd, maybe to wake up some home fans.

At the other end Jamie Lawrence picked up a yellow card after McAllister used all his experience to persuade referee Rob Styles that he was brought down.

Fortunately for the Bantams, the con trick wasn't clever enough to earn a penalty - a free-kick on the edge of the box had to suffice. The wall blocked Jansen's harmless strike.

Bradford continued to ride their luck as Coventry pushed on more and more and the Bantams were forced to revert to four at the back to hold back the tide.

Despite a couple of attacking substitutions by the home side, the goal, now nearly six hours of league football in the waiting, simply would not come.

And so it was that Bradford soaked up the pressure and hit the back of the net themselves.

Lawrence had the ball on the right wing and slid it in for Ward. The big man once again used his experience to hold it up before sending Gray in once more behind the static Coventry line. He slid it across for Jorgensen to bang it into an empty net under only the slightest of pressure.

It was a beautifully executed pass, showing all the penetration and incisiveness that Coventry lacked.

However much the home fans slated their team in the shakedown, little can be taken away from a professional Bradford performance. They came, they saw, they realised their opportunity and they conquered.