Mark Hughes hails 10-man Bradford’s ‘commitment and desire’ in Tranmere draw

Mark Hughes hailed the “commitment and desire” shown by 10-man Bradford after they were denied all three points by a late goal in the 1-1 draw against Tranmere.

Bradford deservedly went ahead in the 19th minute with a smart header from Jamie Walker, on loan from Hearts, who flicked the ball into the far corner from Luke Hendrie’s right-wing cross.

They had a setback when they went down to 10 men in the 28th minute when midfield player Elliot Watt was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in the space of three minutes.

However, they looked set to end their run of eight home matches without a win, four of them under Hughes, until Tranmere substitute Callum McManaman scored the equaliser with a low shot just inside the far post in the 89th minute.

Hughes said: “I’m just pleased with the level of performance and commitment and desire we showed. It was really difficult after losing Elliot Watt and we had to dig in.

“We obviously were behind in numbers in the game but it didn’t really show. We still tried to play our stuff when we were able to.

“Late in the day we could have won it ourselves after they equalised.

“The equaliser could have really disappointed us but we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off again and had a really good opportunity through Lee Angol.

“It was a great effort from the guys and a huge reaction from the crowd as well. That tells you all you need to know about the way they felt about the performance.

“It’s disappointing we didn’t get the three points but pleasing in terms of the manner of the performance.”

“It’s a simple equation – if the performances show determination and the willingness to go that extra yard then the fans can relate to that and give credit where it’s due. That’s why we got the reaction at the end we had.

“We’ve gone up against a team that’s trying to get out of this league but you wouldn’t have thought they were the team going for promotion.

“We looked like the ones trying to get in the play-off places. But we’re not there and there are reasons behind that and our intention next year is to be one of those teams that the opposition will fear going up against.

“We’re disappointed with the first booking. I don’t really see the reason why the referee needed to do that. If he’d blown quickly after the initial foul then Elliot wouldn’t have reacted.

“It escalated and then, understandable reaction from Elliot just trying to free himself to get the space to play.”

Tranmere manager Micky Mellon said: “I don’t think we started the game well. For some reason we were a bit leggy and lethargic. We know Bradford is a tough place to come.

“We hoped for more than a draw especially when they went down to 10 men.

“We got into some good areas but then gave the ball away cheaply or couldn’t get on the end of crosses into the box.

“We didn’t show enough quality or imagination and didn’t move the ball quickly enough, but at least we got something out of the game with Callum’s equaliser. That is a positive.”