BRADFORD City remain in the League Two play-off places, after a superb 2-1 win with 10 men at promotion rivals Mansfield Town.

City skipper Richie Smallwood slammed home a loose ball to put the visitors in front after 30 minutes, as his side dominated the latter stages of the first half.

And when Andy Cook scored a brilliant individual goal just after the break, the Bantams looked set for a comfortable three points.

But Matty Platt was sent off for a second bookable offence midway through the second half, and Mansfield almost instantly halved the deficit through Will Swan.

Despite the 11-man hosts coming on strong, some brave defending and some clever time-wasting saw City cling on for a brilliant win.

Platt knew he’d be spending over 80 minutes on a tightrope, as he picked up a very early yellow card for flattening George Maris as Mansfield broke forward.

Then, after a lull, the Bantams started to get some chances.

Mansfield wasted a three-on-two, and suddenly City were in, Harry Chapman slipping a glorious ball in behind for Tyreik Wright.

The winger tried to slide it across for a tap in but Riley Harbottle made a brilliant block, and when the ball almost broke back to Wright in the box, he inadvertently kicked his man in the head to concede a free-kick.

A double save from Christy Pym soon after kept the hosts level. Chapman slid in Scott Banks one-one-one but his finish was weak and the keeper saved it with his legs.

The ball broke to Wright on a bit of a tight angle, but the Mansfield stopper was there to deny him too.

Mansfield could not hold out in the face of the unforeseen onslaught, and Smallwood slammed City in front after half-an-hour.

A great move from left to right saw the ball worked across from Wright to Chapman to Banks, with the latter finding Brad Halliday on the overlap.

His low cross was blocked, but it broke perfectly for Smallwood, who fired the loose ball beyond Pym to put City in front.

There was a great chance as Banks was slipped in behind, but his low ball was scrambled half away, before Alex Gilliead almost diverted the loose ball home, only for it to be hacked away off the line.

Mansfield almost grabbed a fluke equaliser seconds before the break when Hiram Boateng’s corner swirled over Harry Lewis, who was caught in no man’s land.

He was saved by captain Smallwood, who heroically headed the ball off the line.

Lucas Akins and Jordan Bowery came on for Kellan Gordon and Anthony Hartigan at the break as Mansfield changed to a more attacking formation, but it was City who had the first chance of the second half.

Halliday picked the ball up after moving infield and tried to bend one in from 25 yards out. Pym was scrambling across his goal, but fortunately for him, it went just wide.

Platt then hacked a clearance down the line and Cook bullied centre-half James Perch off the ball.

He still had plenty to do, but he ran along the byline, cut inside and then thrashed the ball low beyond Pym for a magnificent individual goal.

Siubstitute Abo Eisa’s speculative long-range effort soon after skidded across the wet surface, Pym spilled the ball, but there was no-one in City black and white on hand to turn it home.

Platt was walking that tightrope still though and that proved costly, as he was dismissed midway through the second half.

His first yellow was fully deserved but this felt harsh, as a soft pull back on Lapslie on the halfway line, followed by him kicking the ball away in frustration, saw him dismissed.

Unsurprisingly, moments later, Mark Hughes looked to shore up City’s lead by bringing off Chapman for Yann Songo’o.

But the Bantams were almost immediately on the back foot, and Maris slid the ball into substitute Akins, whose deflected effort was somehow tipped behind at full stretch by Lewis.

Maris’ subsequent corner in was headed at goal by Elliott Hewitt and Lewis did brilliantly to stop the initial shot with his legs, but Swan scrambled in the rebound to halve the deficit.

Romoney Crichlow had to clear the ball behind seconds later, as Mansfield attacked furiously, but Songo’o’s calming presence at the back saw that threat fade.

Quinn was then yellow carded for a poor foul on Halliday before Banks joined him in the book for kicking the ball away.

Lapslie had the best late chance for the Stags, and looked set to head home an equaliser, but the ball was cleared over the bar by a scrambling City defence.

On-loan winger Banks then put Cook through on goal, but the striker’s touch was heavy and Pym slid at his feet to collect.

Remarkably, 10 minutes were added on, as City's timewasting with 10 men threatened to haunt them, but the only real incident of note in that lengthy period of stoppage time was a yellow card for Lapslie for hauling down Eisa as the Bantams winger was breaking away.

Mansfield could only huff and puff in those closing moments, and they failed to blow the City house down, as the visitors claimed a superb win.

MANSFIELD: Pym 7, Gordon 4 (Bowery 46min, 5), Perch 5 (Hawkins 88min), Harbottle 8 (Quinn 58min, 5), Hewitt 6, Hartigan 5 (Akins 46min, 7), Maris 7, Clarke 6, Boateng 6, Lapslie 7, Swan 7. Subs (not used): O’Toole, Wallace, Flinders.

CITY: Lewis 7, Halliday 8, Platt 6, Crichlow 7, Foulds 7, Gilliead 6, Smallwood 7, Banks 7 (Pereira 88min), Chapman 7 (Songo’o 68min, 7), Wright 7 (Eisa 54min, 7), Cook 8 (Angol 88min). Subs (not used): Oliver, East, Doyle.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Brad Halliday.