Portadown 2, Bradford City 2 - One wag in the Portadown press box reckoned Robert Molenaar was the dead spit of Stuart from Big Brother.

After his two blunders cost City their winning run in Northern Ireland last night, Jim Jefferies would have had him voted straight out of the house.

The big Dutchman is normally a pillar of strength in the middle of the City back four. But he goofed twice with sloppy back passes at Shamrock Park to gift the Smirnoff Premier Leaguers an unlikely draw.

City's first half advantage from an Eoin Jess header was wiped out when Molenaar played a square ball across the six-yard box straight to a grateful Gary Hamilton.

And, after Robbie Blake had restored the lead with a sweetly-worked strike on half-time, Molenaar boobed again late on with a pass into the path of Mark Hamilton.

The 16-year-old, who was last week banging in goals for County Armagh in the Milk Cup youth tournament, got there ahead of the feet-first dive from Matt Clarke and the ball trundled inside the left post.

Big brother Molenaar had been floored by little brother Hamilton.

Transfer-listed Clarke, who was surprisingly given half an hour's air time in place of Gary Walsh, wasn't too happy to be beaten by a sucker punch in his first City outing since December. And neither was his manager.

Jefferies said: "I hope Robert learns a lesson from this. The game is hard enough without giving goals away like that.

"You could see it coming because we did five or six passes in dangerous areas of the pitch, trying to play our way out of it rather than just clear the ball. It's stupid."

Portadown had clearly won the pre-match mind games after reports reaching City's Templepatrick HQ suggested the home side were hampered by injuries and struggling to pick a side.

Instead they bolstered the ranks with a host of trialists from the League of Ireland south of the border.

Jefferies rested Ashley Ward, throwing Jess up front alongside Blake with Lee Sharpe wide on the left. David Wetherall also got his first start since March as thoughts began to turn to the Division One kick-off a week on Saturday.

Jefferies said: "It was a training exercise for Jess and Wetherall and, although they were both very tired towards the end, I wanted to get them through it.

"If we had kept the first-half side on we would probably have run out winners, but I wanted to give others a run. I learned a lot for the build-up to the start of the season."

Jess, coming back from an Achilles injury, struck the opening blow after 15 minutes with a header from Gunnar Halle's cross although the final touch came off Portadown's Phillip Major.

Blake should have doubled the lead after Gareth Whalley's peach of a pass pierced the home defence, but the little striker screwed his shot wide.

Gary Hamilton stunned City with a first equaliser, but normal service was restored in the 45th minute from the move of the match.

Andy Myers surged out of defence and fed Sharpe on halfway, continuing his run down the left as Portadown backed away.

Sharpe, who played his final game for Manchester United on this ground, drove on and, with Myers and Blake open for a pass, he released the striker, who made amends for his earlier miss with a sweeping finish under the keeper.

Wetherall nearly had an assist seven minutes into the second half with a near-post nod-on from Halle cross but Claus Jorgensen's stooping effort was shovelled round the post.

Then, as Clarke waited impatiently for his first touch of 2001 in the City goal, Sharpe clipped the foot of the post with a free-kick.

Michel Evans was denied by a good save and City struck the woodwork again through Wetherall's precise shot on the turn.

But, with three minutes remaining, Molenaar sold Clarke short and Hamilton claimed a notable addition to his scrapbook.

City could still have won it at the end but Evans scuffed wide from six yards. It was his last action as a Bantam - the trialist was told afterwards by Jefferies that he would not be signed on.

Not the best of nights for the Dutch corner of the dressing room!

City: Walsh, Halle, Myers, McCall, Wetherall, Molenaar, Blake, Locke, Jess, Whalley, Sharpe. Subs (all used): Atherton, Clarke, Makel, Jorgensen, Lawrence, Evans, Locke.

Portadown: Woods, Douglas, Neill, Major, Robinson, Ogden, Feeney, Fitzgerald, G Hamilton, Arkins, Tumilty. Subs (all used): Morrow, Connolly, Smith, A Hamilton, M Hamilton, Lindsey, Irwin.