Bury 0, Bradford City 2; Match Report by Richard Sutcliffe.

What a difference a year makes.

Last Easter Monday, Bradford City had visited Gigg Lane and slipped to a 2-0 defeat with a display which was so poor that it left 1,500 loyal fans sarcastically chanting 'We're going to shoot in a minute' and 'We are bored' long before the end.

Paul Jewell had been given the manager's job until the end of the season and the display against Bury left the majority of the fans trooping dejectedly out of Gigg Lane convinced that a new man had to be brought in during the summer.

However the City board stuck with Jewell and exactly a year on from that awful afternoon, the contrast in the club's fortunes could not be more marked.

The Bantams ran out comfortable winners over Bury despite failing to get out of second gear in the second half and are the only side who look capable of challenging Ipswich for the coveted second place and automatic promotion.

Where 12 months ago the mood among the fans was doom and gloom, optimism now abounds with the very real possibility of Premiership football getting tantalisingly close.

The game was effectively over at half-time with two goals from Dean Windass condemning Bury to their 19th game without a victory - equalling their worst ever run which was set in 1910.

The Shakers have been showing signs of getting out of trouble in recent weeks and went into the clash with City on the back of a six game unbeaten run.

Five of these had been goalless draws so City deserve a lot of credit for sweeping Bury aside with such ease.

The victory was built on another hard-working display in midfield where Gareth Whalley and Stuart McCall won nearly every challenge they made.

Peter Beagrie also showed a welcome return to form with his ability to hold on to the ball under heavy pressure allowing City to pour forward during the opening 45 minutes.

The City wideman's delivery was also back to its best and he created both goals for Windass.

First he curled over a fine corner which allowed Windass to bravely get ahead of Darren Bullock and head into the net after 28 minutes.

Then, just three minutes before the break, Beagrie played a short corner to Wayne Jacobs and curled over another inviting cross which Windass duly nodded into the net.

It was a just reward for another fine display by the former Oxford man who was preferred to Robbie Blake in the starting line-up.

On the right flank, Lee Sharpe made his first starting appearance since joining City on loan and responded with some fine wing play in the opening stages although he appeared to tire as the game progressed.

At the back, both Darren Moore and Ashley Westwood coped admirably with the Shakers' direct style which saw the ball hoofed forward time and time again.

After the break, the tempo of the game dipped noticeably and the 3,944 City supporters who made the trip across the Pennines had to content themselves with calls to Jewell of 'Jagger, Jagger, give us a wave' before mocking the City boss' counterpart with renditions of 'You want to sack Neil Warnock'.

Bury never looked like threatening Gary Walsh's goal to leave the Bantams in fine heart ahead of their crucial final six games.

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