Chesterfield 2, City 2

It must have been an eerily familiar feeling for Jon McLaughlin.

Here he was again retrieving a late, late equaliser from the back of City’s net – just as he had done on their previous visit two years earlier.

The point from the 2-2 draw that day went towards helping Chesterfield get out of this division and keeping the Bantams in it. McLaughlin and his downcast team-mates will be hoping that Saturday’s stalemate does not repeat that.

While the Spireites remain very much on the fringes of the play-off chase, four points behind with only three games to go, they are still hanging in there. The chance to put them away had been missed.

For much of a lively, frenetic afternoon, it looked like City were making forceful strides towards the third automatic promotion spot. Results elsewhere seemed favourable and Phil Parkinson’s side had ridden a sticky start to take control.

But stoppage time completely altered the picture. On the day that Mark Lawn had warned of twists and turns to come, City leaked a sloppy second goal in the third of the five minutes added on by awful referee Brendan Malone.

So it’s as you were at the bottom end of the play-off pack. Forget any fanciful ideas of third spot – Burton’s equally late winner against Plymouth probably saw to that – because now it is all about bolting down seventh.

Tomorrow’s game against Rotherham – for whom automatic promotion is a genuine goal – was always going to be tasty because of the Steve Evans connection. Now it threatens to be dynamite with the stakes so high for both sides.

A win and City go four points clear of Exeter with only two matches to play. Anything less and nerves will go into overdrive.

It shouldn’t have come to that because City – and their travelling army of 3,000 at the Proact Stadium – should have been celebrating a run of four straight league wins for the first time since 2004.

Lively, committed and physically stronger than their hosts, City’s performance had all the ingredients of a side destined for the sharp end of the promotion scrap.

That is until one moment of careless defending. It was a nondescript corner from substitute Alex Henshall, scuffing along the ground, but nobody dealt with it.

And nobody picked up Sam Togwell as he pulled away at the back post to find himself unmarked eight yards from goal. Garry Thompson’s former Scunthorpe team-mate took full advantage to score for the second time in successive games.

If that wasn’t depressing enough for the Bantams, there were unsavoury scenes after the final whistle as a group of fans behind the goal got involved with stewards.

Whatever the rights and wrongs, and there were accusations of provocation and a heavy-handed approach from security recruited from local pubs and clubs, it hardly portrayed the visitors in the best light – especially with another potentially high-tension fixture next up at Valley Parade.

So an afternoon that had promised so much for so long ended with a bitter taste in the mouth. The old cliché “it feels like a defeat” was never more fitting.

But on the face of it, a draw was not the worst result. Most would have taken it before the game against a side who, like Bristol Rovers before them, have been in cracking form.

Chesterfield shot out of the traps and it needed a clearance off the line from Gary Jones to keep that early momentum at bay.

It was not the first time that Jones blocked their path as once again the skipper delivered an imperious display. Shrugging off the strong wind and an unpredictable, bobbly surface, he set about the Spireites as if his life depended on it.

You lost count of the number of times Jones surged over the halfway line to lead a City assault. Backed up by Ricky Ravenhill snapping at everything that moved, the pair of them bossed the park.

French striker Armand Gnanduillet – or poor man’s Balotelli, to paraphrase the City chant – was a handful for the home side and his flick sent away Tendayi Darikwa for a cross-shot that McLaughlin beat away.

But City began to take a grip and were rewarded with a stunning opener when Nahki Wells skilfully controlled James Hanson’s flick-on before volleying into the bottom corner.

Goal number 22 for the rejuvenated Bermudian – and fourth in three games – sent the Bantams hordes into raptures and Chesterfield into retreat.

With the wind behind them for the second half, City bombed forward to create some decisive daylight. Even without Kyel Reid, who had not reappeared because of a tight groin, they probed and pushed for a second.

That’s when Mr Malone came to the party, waving away a clear penalty claim when James Meredith was nearly parted from his shorts. But worse was to follow from the Swindon official.

Chesterfield levelled against the run of play when Darikwa stole in at the near post; City’s sense of injustice heightened.

And it leapt off the scale when a shot from sub Zavon Hines was clearly “saved” by home skipper Liam Cooper, using both hands. There is a Youtube video recorded by City Gent fanzine editor Mike Harrison clearly catching the incident – have a look and make up your own mind.

But the referee apparently saw nothing and neither did his nearest assistant. Without excusing what transpired off the field, the tension was ramped up by such moments of incompetence.

Malone was let off to some degree when City did score from the resulting corner as Ravenhill drove in his first goal for 15 months.

That should have been it until Togwell, another less-than-prolific midfield scorer, popped up unguarded. Where Malone had got the five extra minutes from was another question open to debate but City could only look at themselves for not keeping the back door shut.

“It needs organisation out there on the pitch,” said Parkinson, who had been forced into a late change when Andrew Davies felt a nerve spasm in his back during the warm-up.

“It was always going to be a difficult game. But we’ve played another form team like Bristol Rovers on Tuesday and dominated both of them.

“When we got beaten at Exeter, if someone had said then we’d be in this position, you’d probably have thought we were dreaming. But we’ve put in a terrific run and the lads are right on it.

“I’ve just got to make sure that late goal doesn’t knock us. It shouldn’t do because the performance was very good.”

Attendance: 7,920