SHAY McCartan insists that “winning ugly” is a valuable trait if City are to crack League Two.

McCartan is eyeing a third promotion from the basement division after previous success at last season’s champions Lincoln and Accrington.

And he believes results like Saturday’s late 1-0 win at Walsall show the team ethic needed for the Bantams to bounce straight back.

Read more: Simon Parker's verdict on Walsall win

McCartan said: “There are no egos out there. We all know what we have to do and are working hard for each other.

“We showed our resilience. We didn’t play the best but we dug it out and the three points is all that matters.”

James Vaughan was pushing to be credited with the winner, claiming there was a faint contact as he pressured Walsall’s Liam Kinsella into heading into his own net.

Vaughan, who had a first-half effort ruled out, had fired a penalty over the bar just minutes before the goal.

“He’s a brilliant pro, he’s robust and a nightmare for defenders,” added McCartan.

“Vaughany plays with his heart and we’re lucky to have him. He’s a big asset and works his socks off.

“The disallowed goal looked very harsh and then the missed penalty, which happens.

“Stuff like that is frustrating but you pick yourself up and move on. We know what it takes to win.

“We were 1-0 down last week against Northampton and a lot of teams would have packed it in.

“It shows the strength of depth in the squad that we threw subs on that changed the game and won 2-1.

“Now we’ve shown we can win them ugly and that’s a great trait to have in this league, probably the most important one.”

McCartan came off the bench for only his second appearance after a pre-season injury and made an impact as Gary Bowyer switched formations to play him behind the strikers.

The City boss said: “We were delighted to get Shay back out there. Subs have a massive impact and you saw the link-up between him and Callum Cooke - he’s only going to get better for it.

“The win gives everyone an extra shot of confidence going into a busy week. We’ve got to recover now and try and back it up against Cheltenham.

“It’s been tough for them in terms of travelling down on the day, going out there and having a go and then obviously we’ll be back on the road for tomorrow’s game.

“This is when you see the mentality of the group coming through.

“They keep going to the end. Having that mental strength is something they’ve got going for themselves and it’s good.”