STEVENAGE 1 CITY 1

THE chill in the sunshine may have evoked memories of an Easter Monday past in Torquay.

Victory on the icy English Riviera eight years ago was one of the key moments in the ultimately successful charge to Wembley and promotion.

Whether the Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars revolution can emulate Phil Parkinson’s League Two heroes of 2013 remains to be seen in the coming weeks.

A come-from-behind point against a team unbeaten in two months shows the fighting spirit and endeavour in this side.

But the Bantams will have left this unfashionable outpost thinking they could have taken more from a stop-start contest after some decent second-half chances.

Four points from the holiday weekend, though, keeps their play-off interest alive even as outsiders.

City’s management duo kept the same side that had delivered the most emphatic winning margin of their reign against Forest Green three days earlier.

The only change was on the bench where teenage centre half Jorge Sikora replaced Matty Foulds for his first appearance in the squad since the Port Vale game in December.

It was a landmark day for skipper Richard O’Donnell, who was making his 100th league appearance for the club.

Stevenage were certainly testing opposition after an unbeaten run stretching almost two months had rocketed them from a relegation battle on to City’s tails. Wembley skipper Romain Vincelot was among the home substitutes.

And O’Donnell was straight into the action to save his team’s bacon as Stevenage made a fast start.

Home keeper Jamie Cumming launched a long clearance that City allowed to bounce and Elliott List was suddenly in behind them on goal.

But O’Donnell was to block the angle with a strong right leg to deflect his shot up on to the top of the bar. There was an anxious wait as everyone waited to see where the ball would bounce before City could breathe again.

They were then caught out from a quick free-kick but O’Donnell snaffled the snap header from Luke Norris.

Stevenage were not allowing City to settle into the game – and the visitors were guilty of coughing up a flurry of free-kicks in their own half.

Finn Cousin-Dawson headed one just over his own bar – and Stevenage cashed in from the resulting corner.

Chris Lines’ kick was met by Norris in the six-yard box, whose header was tipped on to the bar by O’Donnell. But the rebound came back against the unsuspecting stopper before going in.

It was an out-of-sorts display from City and they nearly fell further behind when defensive miscommunication presented Tom Pett with a half-chance that he thrashed wide.

But then, totally against the run of play, the Bantams hit back with a superbly-worked equaliser on 27 minutes.

Elliot Watt cleverly turned to make space in midfield and sprayed a ball wide to Connor Wood. His cross was right on the button and Clayton Donaldson looped the header past Cumming for his first goal in four months.

It was only the fourth goal Stevenage had let in during their long unbeaten run – and prevented the on-loan Chelsea keeper for adding to his league-best tally of 15 clean sheets.

There was a difference about City’s play from that point. Suddenly they were getting on the ball and trying to ask a few questions of their own.

But set-pieces and crosses were still an issue and Andy Cook came up with a crucial defensive header at his own post from another threatening corner from Lines.

Stevenage continued to work the ball slickly but City weathered the pressure to reach the interval intact.

There was more conviction about the Bantams from the restart and Cook skied a long-range half-volley from Donaldson’s nod down. Having spotted the keeper off his line, he could not repeat the sensational effort that had rocked Forest Green’s bar.

City made a double change on the hour to bring on Charles Vernam and Billy Clarke – and the Irishman nearly made a spectacular entrance with a first-touch prod shot wide from inside the D.

But there was another nervous moment at the other end as List found space to cut back to Arthur Read in the box. His effort looked goal-bound but Niall Canavan was in the right place to make a big headed block.

Vernam, who set up two goals on Friday, almost had one with a scuffed shot across goal that just eluded the incoming

Danny Rowe and Ollie Crankshaw joined the fray as Trueman shouted at City to try to get in behind the home defence.

Tempers flared as Paudie O’Connor claimed he was elbowed in the face by Matty Stevens, who saw yellow rather than the red the City man was after.

City were chasing the win and Clarke’s cross was just too high for the unmarked Anthony O’Connor.

Then Vernam drove into the box and pulled back to Watt, whose deflected shot wrong-footed Cumming but rolled the wrong side of the post.

Vernam and Clarke got in each other’s way on the end of Finn Cousin-Dawson’s cross and then the youngster headed over as City could not find that second goal.

STEVENAGE: Cumming 7, James-Wildin 7, Cuthbert 7, Prosser 6 (Osborne 61min), Coker 7, Martin 6, Pett 6, Lines 8, Read 7 (Aitchison 89min), List 7, Norris 7 (M Stevens 66min). Subs: Vincelot, Hutton, Vancooten, Johnson.

CITY: O’Donnell 6, Cousin-Dawson 7, P O’Connor 6, Canavan 7, Wood 7, A O’Connor 7, Watt 7, Scales 6 (Clarke 62min), Donaldson 7 (Crankshaw 72min), Evans 6 (Vernam 62min), Cook 7 (Rowe 72min). Subs: J Stevens, Sikora, Hornby.