Young leveller earns a point for the leaders

HALF-TIME substitute Jake Young took less than ten minutes to make an impact as his equaliser earned Sky Bet League Two leaders Forest Green a draw at Bradford that kept up their unbeaten away record.

Top scorer Andy Cook put the Bantams in front in the tenth minute, outjumping the visitors’ defence to head home from Elliot Watt’s corner.

Forest Green enjoyed plenty of possession, but could not find a way through Bradford’s tight defence and Cook almost scored a second goal after 40 minutes when Rovers failed to clear another corner from Watt and the striker’s header was blocked on the line by goalkeeper Luke McGee.

Cook ought to have scored in additional time at the end of the first half too. Levi Sutton was brought down on the edge of the box by Baily Cargill after a surging 30-yard run – a foul that earned the visiting player a booking. Watt’s free-kick was blocked by the wall and the ball broke to the unmarked Cook who fired wide.

Forest Green came back strongly after the interval, however, and equalised in the 55th minute with a goal hotly-disputed by Bradford.

Young burst through the home defence to level the scores, but Bradford claimed Alex Gilliead had been fouled in the build-up and goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell was

BRADFORD CITY ............. 1 FOREST GREEN ROVERS 1

booked for protesting by referee Marc Edwards. Both sides went to close to a winner during some illtempered exchanges – six players were booked in the match – with Cook seeing a header rebound off the crossbar.

Rovers boss Rob Edwards said: “Of course, we want to win every game, but if we’re being honest, we’d have taken the point today, particularly when you look at how the game went.”

Bradford: O’Donnell, Threlkeld, O’Connor, Songo’o, Canavan, Foulds, Gilliead, Watt, Sutton (Cooke 86), Lavery (Robinson 28), Cook. Not Used: Hornby, Vernam, Kelleher, Evans, Cousin-Dawson.

Booked: O’Donnell, Gilliead, Threlkeld.

Goals: Cook 10.

Forest Green: McGee, Godwin-Malife, Bernard, Cargill, Wilson, Stevenson, Hendry (Young 46),

Cadden, Adams, Matt, Stevens (Aitchison 46). Not

Used: Evans, Diallo, Thomas, March, Allen.

Booked: Godwin-Malife, Cargill, Adams.

Goals: Young 54.

Attendance: 14,873

Referee: Marc Edwards (Durham).