Cash-strapped City face a £5,000 fine after the angry protests which followed their controversial penalty defeat at Watford.

Under FA rules, the Bantams must cough up for collecting six yellow cards at Vicarage Road. The haul included two in the heated arguments that followed the home side's late spot-kick.

City were fuming at referee Alan Butler who pointed to the spot with less than two minutes to go after Jermaine Pennant fell theatrically following a shoulder challenge from Lewis Emanuel.

Skipper Robert Molenaar was booked before Neil Cox scored from the spot. And play was held up by the assistant referee before City could kick-off again so that Andy Gray could also be punished.

There were also bookings for Mark Bower, Jamie Lawrence and Peter Atherton - who is up to five and will now miss the FA Cup tie at West Brom on January 4. Substitute Paul Evans was also

yellow-carded for a foul just 20 seconds after coming on.

The FA rap will just add to the sense of injustice for City who saw relegation rivals Grimsby move to within two points with a win over basement club Sheffield Wednesday. Third-from-bottom Stoke got a draw to close the gap with the Bantams to five points ahead of their Boxing Day showdown.

Bantams boss Nicky Law said: "It was going to be 0-0 all day long until the referee decided that the rules have changed now and it's not a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge but a penalty.

"To lose to a diabolical decision like that is so sickening and the lads are absolutely gutted. It happens week in, week out and it will continue to happen week in, week out until we get a better standard of official.

"After a result like the Nottingham Forest one you can sometimes get a case of after the Lord Mayor's show but that wasn't it. We didn't deserve to lose.

"We came in at half-time and could have been a couple down. But we highlighted the problems and ironed them out and Watford became predictable."

Midfielder Michael Stand-ing added: "We worked our socks off to get a result and were robbed by an awful decision. I think it's the worst penalty decision I've ever seen."