Bradford City 0, Manchester City 2: City's week of woe finished with a third loss, a third blank and yet another injury to a centre-half.

But at least they got some pride back against a team Kevin Keegan reckons are better than the Newcastle side he took up before.

After Sheffield Wednesday and Stockport, this was the acid test for City who went into battle with a stinging rebuke from chairman Geoffrey Richmond ringing in their ears.

Richmond blamed the "over-paid underachievers" in his vitriolic programme notes which must have made for interesting discussion in the home dressing room.

The comments hit home. Whether it was because of Richmond's razor-sharp remarks or simply a case of making a point against him, the players gave it a real go against a team that now need only five more wins maximum to book an immediate Premiership return.

The better side won - and could have won by more with the chances they wasted - but nobody could fault the gutsy determination of the Bantams. Richmond warned that blood will be spilled to get results, at least there was plenty of sweat on show following the pitiful efforts in the previous six days.

Andy Myers, whose departure on a stretcher was the latest injury blow of a jinxed season, had clearly read what the chairman had to say. And he admitted that Richmond had a point.

"I can't really comment directly on it but after the last two results we owed it to ourselves to do a lot better. People are well within their rights to hammer and criticise us for our last two performances.

"We know we are capable of beating a lot of the teams we've played this year but it's just not worked out for some reason. If only we knew what it is.

"It's got nothing to do with money, the team has just not gelled. Nobody goes out there to play badly or not give 100 per cent and the players are more disappointed than anyone when things don't go well.

"It's hard to put your finger on what's happening. We came off after Stockport the other night and last week against Wednesday feeling as bad as the supporters. We couldn't work out what had happened, it was so weird.

"We still need a couple of wins at least to be safe but we're capable of doing that. And at least we took a bit of heart from last night's performance and can hopefully take that into Tuesday when we play Birmingham."

Nicky Law's pre-match team talk had effectively been done for him by Richmond. Whatever the manager had to say, he knew the players were probably more wrapped up in the blast from the boardroom.

Law said: "It might have stirred them up, I don't know. But the criticism they have taken over the last week or so has been right. You can't defend the indefensible and I won't do that.

"But I thought the response was very good, they came out with the right attitude and they deserve some credit despite going down to a very good side."

Man City are unrecognisable from the shambles that slithered down the relegation trapdoor behind the Bantams last season. In Ali Benarbia they have the most exciting player outside of the Premiership and their attack oozes goals.

They miss three times as many chances as they put away but messrs Darren Huckerby, Shaun Goater and new boy Jon Macken don't fret about it. They know another will come along a few minutes later.

Macken was only on ten minutes and could have got a hat-trick. Having hit the post with his first touch - eerily, he did the same thing coming off the bench for Preston here five weeks ago - the £5m recruit got his debut goal with the final kick of the game.

Huckerby had broken the deadlock just before half-time but he too should have bagged a few more. His shots to goals ratio is already the stuff of legend at Maine Road - in a Worthington Cup tie against Birmingham he scored four but had 13 clear-cut chances!

But he didn't miss the opportunity put on a plate by Benarbia straight after Myers had been carried away. Andy Tod, axed from the starting line-up for Gunnar Halle's return, suddenly found himself back in the frame but the pace element had totally gone from the back four.

Inevitably you expected the Bantams to struggle with the speed of Man City's attacking raids but not quite so soon.

Myers was still being helped into the dressing room when Benarbia carved open the home defence and Huckerby ran through unchecked and onside to lift it over Alan Combe.

Would Myers have got back in time to stop him? Law certainly seemed to think so with a veiled dig at Tod.

"That's the only time we didn't go with the runner. Whether we tried to play him offside I don't know or it could be the lack of pace of the individual that can't stay with him but it cost us."

Up to that point, Law's men had coped well as Kevin Keegan's goal-hungry scavengers looked to add to the incredible tally of 100 they had clocked up following Tuesday's win at Birmingham.

The defence held firm against two strikers with 46 goals between them, although City had offered little goal threat themselves apart from a speculative cross that nearly became an effective shot from Stuart McCall which had to be eased over the bar by Carlo Nash.

McCall and the ferocious Jamie Lawrence typified the greater hunger that had been so sadly lacking at Edgeley Park as they charged around and closed down anything in an opposing shirt.

"Bradford worked their socks off first half," said an admiring Keegan. "The midfield lads harried, chased and fought for every ball. I honestly felt they couldn't keep that up the whole game."

Unfortunately the loss of Myers gave Man City the opening they were waiting for and once Huckerby claimed his 18th goal of the season the job became a massive one.

The second half belonged to the men from Manchester as the game became a hectic charge from end to end. But with the home supporters belting out a rallying call, Law's men refused to let heads start to sink.

Huckerby and Goater both missed from close range after glorious build-up play from Benarbia before Alan Combe again showed why the Bantams should do their damnedest to tie him down permanently.

Combe atoned for one wobbly punch from a corner by defying both strikers in the space of a minute midway through the half. And when Goater did slip through the net, Combe stayed on his feet long enough to force Law's former Rotherham team-mate too wide to screw his shot into the corner.

While there was still only one goal between the teams, the Bantams clung to some hope but enjoyed another escape when Macken headed against the woodwork after yet more string-pulling from Benarbia.

Danny Cadamarteri latched onto a quick free-kick but was double-teamed in the Man City box and then Tod rumbled forward to put off Nash, only to be brought back for a foul.

From that free-kick City raced to the other end where Combe parried a low power-drive from Danny Tiatto and Macken followed it in.