STEVE Parkin stood in the press room and talked up City's fighting spirit after they had rescued a draw.

A striker had come off the bench to grab the equaliser and a share of the spoils with the team 16th in the table.

The assistant boss then questioned the "pessimistic" air surrounding the result and hit back at those who had written off City's play-off chances on the back of it.

"The easy thing to do is look directly at the end of the season before the end of the season's here," he said.

That point left City still ten adrift of the final play-off place, even with games in hand – but we all know how 2012-13 eventually panned out.

The Bantams lost only twice in the 15-game run-in that began with that low-key home stalemate with Dagenham.

The nay-sayers who were prepared to give up the ghost that Wednesday night in the immediate aftermath of the Capital One Cup final were proved to have gone far too early.

Roll forward three seasons and Parkin was on media duty once more as City salvaged a draw against a Rochdale team who had started the day in the same league position as the Daggers, albeit a division above.

Again it was a centre forward on as a substitute, Steve Davies in this case rather than James Hanson, who had secured the status quo.

At the same stage of the campaign, City are once again on the outside of the play-off positions looking in. But the current gap is just four points and two teams.

Kyel Reid, a survivor from that 2013 promotion charge, can see the similarities – and he is certainly not ruling out the possibility that lightning can strike twice.

"Everyone I speak to thinks the same," he said. "I talk to my family and friends and players who were here then like Darbs (Stephen Darby) and Rozza (Rory McArdle) and they can feel that same sort of spirit.

"As long as we can keep that level of consistency and play well as a group of players, not just one or two.

"We hadn't been beating teams above us but those wins over Peterborough and Southend recently, two who have been doing well, put a marker out for the rest of the league.

"That shows we are back and ready to turn up again and go on another run like we did when I first came back here.

"Somebody up there will start wobbling. As long as we focus on what we've got to do and keep picking up points, we'll see what happens come May 8.

"We're just behind the pack again but I believe we've got a good chance. I really think we will do it and give the fans another great day.

"I've already made sure I am eligible to play (on loan) if we make the play-offs. I wouldn't like to miss all that."

The swagger is back in Reid's demeanour after being reassured about the condition of his knee.

The wear and tear from training on artificial surfaces away from City's regular base had been taking its toll, with the winger feeling the odd twinge.

Given his history with the horrendous injury that prematurely ended his first spell at Valley Parade, Reid's misgivings were perhaps understandable.

His performances looked a bit inhibited until knee specialist Steve Bollen confirmed there were no demons to fear and eased the problem with a programme of injections. The difference in Reid in the last few games has been clear.

He said: "I'm feeling back to my old self now and want to keep going. I had a good chat with the gaffer about how things have gone so far. He's quite happy but obviously we both know there's more in the locker.

"I'm over that little niggle I had and I'm confident in my knee. I just want to get my head down and focus on helping the team do well.

"When you've had a long injury like that, you are going to want to protect yourself.

"There were probably times that I was running around and carrying it a bit, even if I wasn't thinking about it. But it's out of my head now.

"There's a great feeling among the camp. The mood around the changing room is much better and I want to keep being part of that."

City's 'ailments' in front of goal have also shown welcome signs of easing, with eight goals in their last three outings.

Reid believes the arrival of Wes Thomas has helped in that department – even if the on-loan Birmingham man is still to get off the mark.

The winger said: "Wes looks a good signing for the team. He can get in behind the defence and adds a bit of pace.

"That helps us as midfield players because we've got another option to look for as well as Hans. He also stretches the pitch, which gives me a bit more time to get on the ball. It's working in our favour.

"It's good that we're scoring again. Going back to the games against Barnsley and Fleetwood, we didn't play the best but still had chances. Now they are starting to go in again.

"The fan base here is great and once we feel better, they feel better. It gives us that edge going into games when you can hear them singing and chanting and we want to put on a performance for them.

"We'll take it one game at a time but there's so much still to play for this season."

A glance back to 2013 is a reminder of that.