GRAHAM Alexander admitted City dipped below standard in all departments after their long unbeaten league run was ended at Grimsby.

The 2-1 loss at Blundell Park was their first since March.

Alexander said City could have no complaints.

“We’ve been on a fantastic run for 10 games going back to last season.

“There are always going to be spells when you don’t dominate or play particularly well. But the secret for those times are that you don’t concede.

“We conceded from a set-piece – and there were a lot of those which was difficult to manage because there was a lot going against us. But we have to defend it better.

“We didn’t perform in the way we have done until probably an hour.

“I don’t think it was one side of the game but throughout the team – defensively, in possession and creating chances.

“We spoke about what we needed to do in the second half and then conceded so early. It wasn’t good because it involved some of the things we’d just spoken about at half-time.

“We spoke about what we can’t do and that probably happened two or three times in that goal. That’s the one that hurt us.”

City were without Antoni Sarcevic, who was struggling with a knock he picked up in the Salford game and intensified during the last week.

They then lost Aden Baldwin to a hamstring injury early on – with Alexander opting to bring on Jack Shepherd instead of deadline recruit Cheick Diabate.

That meant shuffling the back three round and they looked uncomfortable throughout.

But the Bantams chief still felt he was right not to thrown on natural right-sider Diabate so soon.

“The dilemma we had was whether to bring on Cheick but he’s done one training session.

“We’ve brought him in to give us competition on the right side of the back three. But he’s done two five-a-sides yesterday because it was all prep for the starting team.

“He hasn’t done any tactical work at all and I thought it would have been unfair to put him on. Jack’s been here longer, he knows how we do things, he knows how we press and shift across.

“But bringing him on meant we had to change all three of the positions. It was a dilemma for us but I still think it was the right decision.

“Looking at it, I don’t think losing Aden makes us do other things that happened in the game.”

Olly Sanderson, who replaced Calum Kavanagh at half-time, pulled one back – and Alexander was also convinced he should have had a penalty.

He was not impressed with the performance of referee Stephen Martin.

Alexander said: “It was in the first five to 10 minutes I recognised what I thought might be the rest of the game.

“It’s hard to compete and be a pressing team when people are falling over as soon as you make contact and they’re getting free-kicks.

“But he didn’t whistle when we should have had a penalty in the second half though for the foul on Sanderson.

“I think he’s been swayed by things but I get it, we’re human. It’s difficult for me to talk about that particular scenario because we weren’t good enough.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t at the level today to win any game of football.”