CITY 2 BRISTOL ROVERS 2

“I AM sure Jack will be looking down and cheering us on with a real sense of pride – I hope we as a club do him proud”.

Chief executive Ryan Sparks had rightly penned a tribute in the programme to the man whose name “will be written into our history forever”.

It certainly is in the Valley Parade boardroom that has now been rechristened in Jack Tordoff’s honour.

Tordoff was then given a fitting farewell from fans and players with the applause that rang round the ground ahead of kick-off.

All it needed to cap off a memorable day for the family of the recently-departed life president was the type of City win that he would have loved as an ardent supporter.

Sadly, that was where the afternoon disappeared off script.

Few would argue with Derek Adams and his assertion that the first-half display, full of verve and attacking vigour, was the best the Bantams have played this season.

But equally, there could be no complaints that his team completely shot themselves in the foot by not signing and sealing what should have been a comprehensive victory.

Instead, they left themselves open for Brett Pitman to produce a “get out of jail free” card with a last-gasp looping header to snatch the unlikeliest of points for Bristol Rovers.

For all Adams praised about that first 45 minutes – and City were well on top for probably 70-75 – it boils down to what he had stressed in the pre-match press briefing.

“There’s one thing that matters in football and that’s to win a match,” Adams had said on Thursday. “Everything else is irrelevant.

“Pick up a newspaper in the morning or listen to the radio, you don’t hear what happened in the game, you hear the result – that is the only thing that matters.”

In the cold light of day, this was two criminally-dropped points, end of.

Everything that feels special about Bradford City in the pre-match celebration of a gentleman that did so much for the club for so long wiped away in the bitterness and shock of that late leveller.

And once more we are talking about chances, chances and more chances not being taken.

Not so much the elephant in the room as a whole stampede trashing the house.

The half-time stat count said it all – City’s 15 efforts on goal compared with a big fat zero from the visitors.

Yet the score read only 1-0 in the Bantams’ favour. You did not need to be a long-term fan to fear what was coming next.

I bet Joey Barton couldn’t believe his luck. Ragtag Rovers, as they had looked at that stage, were still hanging in the contest as City danced around them like a boxer with all the skills except that proper punch.

Typically, Rovers would then score the first time they troubled Richard O’Donnell – other than the early attempt to put him out the game with a cynical late challenge.

They would finish with as many on target as the hosts – and as many goals. And that’s the only statistic that counts.

The smattering of boos when referee Andy Haines brought a halt to proceedings signalled the universal frustration. Suddenly the pressure cranks up a notch for the Valley Parade visit from Hartlepool.

But it shouldn’t have been that way.

City had begun in high-octane fashion, spurred on even more by that naughty lunge from Harvey Saunders that left O’Donnell needing lengthy treatment.

The striker could have seen red but he still departed a quarter of the way in through injury to be replaced by the veteran poacher Pitman – more from him later.

All the action at that stage was focused on the other end where City’s opportunities mounted up.

Paudie O'Connor headed wide, Callum Cooke flicked over the bar when set up by Charles Vernam and then it was the winger’s turn to miss the target from Oscar Threlkeld’s cross.

The right back had a pop of his own a few inches too high and Levi Sutton, as energetic as ever, was thwarted by James Belshaw after Cooke’s defence-splitting pass.

But finally some joy from the corner that followed.

Belshaw got both hands to a forceful header from Yann Songo’o but could not hold on and there was Vernam on the spot to bury the rebound. It was the least City’s dominance had deserved.

Rovers had been made to look as poor as any team faced so far. Woozy and wobbling, they crucially made it to the break without suffering the level of punishment they should have received.

Heads given time to clear, the reaction from the restart was instant.

A first Bristol Rovers corner of the match brought the first goal as City lost Alfie Kilgour in the pack to allow him to get a run on Antony Evans’ cross unhindered.

Yet the first rousing rendition of that ear-worm anthem “Goodnight Irene” was still booming from Bristolian voices when City were back in front.

Elliot Watt fed Cooke on the edge of the box, he worked it to Vernam and Cook dispatched the low cross for his sixth goal of the campaign.

Valley Parade once more rocked as another home win appeared back on course.

City chased down the security of a third goal as Vernam and Matty Foulds, on for the injured Liam Ridehalgh, came close.

Cook thought he had claimed an insurance header from Cooke’s free-kick but the flag was already up for a marginal offside against him.

Rovers had still not been put away as home limbs began to tire. The effort of that first half was catching up on them.

Niall Canavan and Caolan Lavery had been added to the bench after their injury absences but Adams declined to change things. Perhaps he still did not feel they were ready for that stage of battle.

Barton had made all his subs by the hour point and Barnsley loanee Luke Thomas added a spark that had previously been absent.

The warning light flashed when O’Connor threw his body in the line of fire to deny Aaron Collins.

Then came the moment of truth as Evans crossed early from at least 30 yards out on the right touchline.

His cross hung in the air, teasing the home defence, as Pitman took a step back from his marker Songo’o.

He stooped slightly to get the right connection and, from 15 yards, his precise header arced over O’Donnell who only reacted to dive when the ball was already beyond him.

A case of Goodnight City – more teeth-gnashing about what ifs and should have been. It’s only the result that matters.