City 2, Burton 3

City have it all to do on Sunday to prevent their promotion dream from falling at the hurdle before Wembley.

Burton boast the best home record in the entire Football League with 17 wins and only three defeats – but the Bantams must breach the fortress.

Brewers boss Gary Rowett had promised to “throw the kitchen sink” at City and they certainly did that, although Garry Thompson prevented home hopes from going completely down the plughole with an explosive second-half strike.

That at least gives them a fighting chance for the second leg. And they can take comfort from history and a certain visit to Blackpool...

The 14,657 crowd was a record for a fourth-tier semi-final first leg and 400 more than the attendance for City’s last Valley Parade play-off when they lost to Sam Allardyce’s Tangerines in 1996.

Kyel Reid was not risked from the start after his groin injury, with Phil Parkinson preferring Will Atkinson in left midfield. Otherwise, the City team was as expected, with all those given a breather at Cheltenham coming straight back.

Burton, a 14-1 outside shot for promotion before the season began, had never won at Valley Parade – and lost on their last visit just 12 days earlier.

But having finished fourth, their highest position since joining the league in 2009, the Brewers returned to West Yorkshire full of confidence.

Parkinson had called for a wall of noise to bombard the Brewers and the home fans did not disappoint. The decibels shot up as City forced three corners in a breathless opening ten minutes.

The pace was predictably frenetic and there was little shape to the early exchanges. Nerves were on show and both sides were reluctant to put their foot on the ball and take a touch.

But the stalemate was broken midway through the half – with Burton drawing first blood. Jacques Maghoma whipped in a dangerous cross from the left wing and Calvin Zola headed firmly beyond Jon McLaughlin.

The Congolese targetman had been kept very quiet in the recent league meeting but made his mark when it mattered most.

The goal briefly knocked the stuffing out of a previously-vibrant Valley Parade and Maghoma’s dancing feet threatened to cause more problems.

Rory McArdle headed over from Gary Jones’s free-kick before the night took a further turn to the worse for City. Again it was Zola who caused the damage, holding off McArdle to cut inside from the left before rifling a cross-shot into the far corner of the net.

City could argue that the striker was clearly offside when he brought down Zander Diamond’s long ball but that only added to their agony.

Suddenly City were staring down the barrel – and the tie could have been put beyond them by a Burton third as Zola and Robbie Weir exchanged neat passes to put John McGrath through on goal.

McGrath, the godfather of Ricky Ravenhill’s daughter, could have delivered the telling hit but McLaughlin made a crucial block by spreading his body.

That save proved even more critical as City grabbed a much-needed foothold in the contest eight minutes before the break.

James Hanson knocked an inviting ball into the box, McArdle swung and missed but Garry Thompson was right behind him for a shot that was smothered illegally by the hands of Damien McCrory.

It was almost a goalkeeping dive by the left back, who could well have been sent off. But referee James Adcock ruled the penalty was sufficient punishment and decided not to produce a card of either colour.

Parkinson could not bare to watch as Nahki Wells stepped up to take it. But the top scorer had only missed once this season – in the FA Cup shoot-out against Northampton – and confidently sent keeper Stuart Tomlinson the wrong way.

It was game on as things warmed up on the pitch and off it, where Steve Parkin and Rowett exchanged a few heated “pleasantries” in front of the dugout.

But Rowett had the last laugh before the break as Burton regained their two-goal advantage. Again City’s defence was opened up too easily as James Meredith was caught ball-watching.

He allowed Alex MacDonald to slip in behind him and pull back a low cross which midfielder Robbie Weir swept home.

City’s success had been built on a solid base from the back but that was noticeable by its absence in a shaky 45 minutes which left them with it all to do.

Reid’s appearance for a warm-up jog along the touchline raised spirits and Parkinson did not wait long to unleash the winger. He came on for Atkinson after 57 minutes in a double switch which also saw Nathan Doyle replace Ravenhill.

City finally mustered a hint of a comeback as Wells was foiled by Tomlinson and Thompson drilled the rebound across goal.

At least Zola could not inflict any more damage as he made way for Billy Kee. City were still looking for any way back as Doyle drove high and wide.

Wells had an effort smuggled behind and missed the ball completely from close range as the corner dropped in his favour. It was that sort of game.

City needed a moment of magic from someone – and Thompson provided it with an absolute bolt from the blue with 16 minutes to go.

There looked no danger for Burton when the winger picked up possession wide on the right. But he lined up his sights before unleashing a trademark thunderbolt that took a slight deflection off Jones and zipped over Tomlinson into the roof of the net.

That flicked the switch once more as Valley Parade burst back into life and Tomlinson almost stumbled into his own goal taking a Wells curler above his head.

But there were still problems at the other end where the elusive Maghoma, the best player on the pitch, found MacDonald for a fierce snap-shot that clipped the top of the bar.

Tomlinson was booked for time-wasting and there was another card for MacDonald as he scythed down Reid.

Nelson nodded over from a Jones set-piece and Hanson should have done a lot better with a Meredith low cross in stoppage time but miskicked from eight yards out.

At least City are still in there fighting, even if the odds are against them.

Attendance: 14,657