Bradford City 1, Lincoln City 1: Match Report by Richard Sutcliffe.

Bradford City have it all to do if they are to progress in the Worthington Cup after being held to a disappointing home draw.

The Bantams had been expected to build a valuable lead over Second Division Lincoln but they travel to Sincil Bank next Tuesday in real danger of crashing out in the first round for the second successive year.

And it could have been a lot worse for City with only an 89th minute equaliser from Peter Beagrie sparing their blushes after Lincoln had taken a shock lead just three minutes earlier.

It was certainly no game for the faint-hearted with the visitors' approach to the game being basic, to say the least.

Resplendent in their Glasgow Celtic-style shirts, Lincoln made Saturday's opponents Stockport look like Inter Milan such was their reliance on muscle and the long punt forward.

In fact, the visitors gameplan appeared to revolve around winning as many throw-ins and corners as possible in the hope that one would lead to a scrambled goal.

And with Paul Jewell's side lacking the intelligence to prevent themselves being drawn into these tactics in the first half, it meant football was at a premium in one of the worst 45 minutes I can remember.

Lincoln may argue that their approach is effective and point to their promotion last season, but I can't think of a worse advert for football. And I feel sorry for the fans who have to suffer this 'entertainment' every week.

Having said that, City were equally guilty of humping the ball forward at every opportunity in the first half. What they should have been doing was getting the ball down and opening up the imposing visitors defence with measured passing.

Instead, the Bantams played right into Lincoln's hands and when Jewell likened the first half to being about as exciting as watching paint dry, it was hard to disagree.

At the back, however, City were much more confident with both Darren Moore and Andy O'Brien returning to form.

On Saturday against Stockport they showed an alarming lack of understanding, but that was certainly not the case last night.

Both men were positive in their approach and if a ball was there to be won, then the pair ensured that they did just that.

John Dreyer also slotted in well at left back after Lee Todd was forced to retire in the 32nd minute and the veteran could be an important squad member for City as he provides impressive cover in both defence and midfield.

Despite this dominance at the back, City had been painfully laborious in the first half but thankfully for the home fans in the 4,481 crowd, the entertainment level rose dramatically after the break.

Gareth Grant played a leading role in this transformation after coming on as a half time substitute with his speed and skill on the ball causing Lincoln problems.

And one piece of skill in the 67th minute was the highlight of the night. Receiving the ball out wide on the left with Lincoln defender Grant Brown breathing down his neck, Grant produced an outrageous shimmy to leave his opponent on his backside.

Gordon Watson, also on as a substitute, received a standing ovation from the crowd after missing the last 18 months through injury and suggested he has plenty to offer the Bantams.

The former record signing used the ball intelligently and harried the Lincoln defence out of their stride on several occasions. Beagrie was another player who came to life in the second half and, with a bit more luck, could have had three goals.

First, he hit a rasping shot which Lincoln goalkeeper John Vaughan superbly tipped around the post. And then the City winger rose high above the defence before planting his ten-yard header on to the crossbar.

This desperately unlucky miss suggested that it was not going to be City's night and when Lincoln striker Tony Battersby hammered the opening goal after an 86th minute goalmouth scramble, it appeared the game was over.

However Beagrie's persistence finally paid off when he drilled a low free kick past Vaughan and set up an intriguing second leg at Sincil Bank next week.

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