City fans will tell you that there is only one Deano.

And that was the name on the supporters' lips after a dramatic climax on Saturday.

Only this was the National Hockey Stadium and not Valley Parade.

The over-joyed fans celebrating a late winner were from the MK Dons. The Deano they were hailing for an 89th-minute thunderbolt was home skipper Dean Lewington.

While Dean Windass looked on helpless from the stand as he began the first of his five-game suspension, City were feeling the heat from his costly absence.

With every passing week, the next game just gets bigger and bigger. The league table does not lie but while the Bantams remain in the top half - just - the gap to the bottom four has been slimmed again to just four points.

Blackpool at home on Saturday is another showdown that they dare not lose.

To add salt to City's wounds, MK Dons spent the entire second half without a recognised goalkeeper - having seen TWO go off injured.

Portuguese Ricardo Batista pulled up in the pre-match warm-up which meant a late recall for Matt Baker, who had been axed following their five-goal thrashing at Huddersfield.

Baker had planned to be alongside Windass in the press box when he was given an SOS shout just ten minutes before kick-off.

But his afternoon was finished on the stroke of half-time when he landed heavily in a scrum from a City corner. Mark Bower rose above everyone to head home but the "goal" was ruled off for a foul and Baker had to be helped gingerly from the field.

Without a back-up on the bench, striker Aaron Wilbraham was given the jersey - and the Bantams must have thought they had hit the jackpot.

But as the saying goes, you win nothing without buying a ticket. And City never cashed in.

Instead it was the MK Dons who adopted a shoot-on-sight policy. Having failed to take advantage of the fierce wind that blew straight down the pitch, they decided the best way of protecting Wilbraham after the break was to keep taking the game to the visitors.

Their positivity paid off with time ticking away as Lewington picked up a half-cleared Danny Cadamarteri cross and just ran. And ran and ran.

Apart from a timid challenge from Tom Penford that Lewington swatted away, the Dons defender was allowed to charge ahead unchecked before letting fly from 30 yards.

Donovan Ricketts, who had already produced a couple of big saves, seemed to be blinded by the low sun and did not react quickly enough to prevent the ball ripping into the top corner.

"Deano, Deano" boomed the home fans. The travelling City followers, who had been buffeted non-stop at the open end of the ground, headed for the exit.

MK Dons have renewed hope after three home wins on the bounce and showed no ill-effects from the previous week's blitzing at the Galpharm. City, meanwhile, have got to pick up the pieces once again - and do it without Windass.

After a week of striker hunting drew a blank, Colin Todd recalled Steve Claridge to partner Cadamarteri. The veteran responded with a typically whole-hearted display and his fifth goal of the season - his first since scoring the winner at Port Vale in October.

Cadamarteri's barren run goes back even further than that. Saturday was his 21st start since he last hit the net in August and he never looked like sorting that sorry record.

With his main man in self-imposed exile, Todd needs the other frontmen to pick up the gauntlet - and must have been infuriated with Cadamarteri's lack of end product.

At least Owen Morrison's return was a boost for the beleaguered boss. The up-and-down winger may be short of match fitness but he showed enough to justify Todd throwing him back in early.

City need all the creativity they can get at the moment. A fit and firing Morrison could have a big role to play in the coming weeks.

City coped well for the first 45 minutes with the Dons restricted to trying their luck from distance.

The back four did its job as always with Damion Stewart continuing to impress alongside David Wetherall. Pacy winger Wade Small gave Bower the odd moment of concern but the only close call was an effort from former Bantam Gareth Edds which struck the sliding Wetherall and looped just over the bar.

Dons' highly-rated hitman Izale McLeod did little to justify his elevation to England under-21 status. And he showed the ugly side of his game in an altercation with Bower, appearing to put his head in the City defender's face. A less honest opponent could have gone to ground and got him sent off.

City finished the first half strongly with Morrison starting to find his range with his crossing. He bent one clever ball behind the Dons' defence but the strikers were not alert to it and the chance passed.

With Baker sidelined, City should have pushed on for their sixth away win. Instead it was the home side who grabbed the initiative straight from the re-start with Filipe Morais and McLeod both having early sighters of goal.

The Dons got their reward after 57 minutes, catching City cold from a quickly-taken throw-in. Morrison found himself on the wrong side of Morais, the young Portuguese winger who fancies himself as a Cristiano Ronaldo, and his cross-shot deceived Ricketts and clipped the far post. As City dithered, Ben Harding gobbled up the rebound and the icy wind howling across the ground had an extra chill for the visitors.

Ricketts prevented substitute Clive Platt adding to City's agony by scoring with his first touch before City dragged themselves level.

They forced a corner and there were panic stations in the Dons penalty area - not surprising given the absence of a bona-fide keeper.

Bower nodded down into the mix and then stuck out a leg to nudge the loose ball towards goal, Cadamarteri helped it on through a sea of legs and Claridge was in the right place at the right time to head in from a couple of yards.

That should have been the launchpad to bombard Wilbraham's goal but the Dons bounced straight back with Morais, David Partridge and Edds all going close.

Ricketts sprung to his left to brilliantly tip away another half-volley from the fired-up Edds and then threw himself full length again as Harding sent an effort inches wide.

City survived a loud shout for hand ball against Marc Bridge-Wilkinson but there was no escape from Lewington's lethal left boot.

At last Wilbraham was given a test and had to nudge a Wetherall header to safety. But it was far too little, far too late.

Nails will be nibbled at for a while yet.