GARY Bowyer insists City’s subs continue to set the standard after Aramide Oteh came off the bench to beat Morecambe.

Oteh’s winner 11 minutes from time stretched the unbeaten run to seven games to keep on the tails of leaders Swindon, their next opponents.

The striker cleverly finished off Connor Wood’s cross to settle another scrappy game at Valley Parade.

Oteh came on after an hour along with Zeli Ismail, who hit the bar minutes after the breakthrough goal.

Bowyer felt their contribution showed the part that those coming off the bench continue to play for City.

He said: “I think we’ve been very good at that all season. When we’ve brought people on, they’ve made an impact whether that’s setting someone up or scoring goals.

“As we’ve said all along, it is a squad game and that’s especially been the case over this Christmas period.

“We’ve got the likes of Clayton Donaldson and Jamie Devitt to come back sooner rather than later and that adds competition again. That just spurs the players on to perform at the levels to keep the shirt.”

It was Oteh’s fourth goal for the club – and came from their only shot on target in the game.

“I half-expected that type of game,” added Bowyer.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge and it proved that. The pitch was difficult again for both teams and it was no classic.

“But we have got that patience and desire, the character among them and the spirit to find ways to win. The real bit of quality from the game got us the winner.

“Remy did ever so well to get the ball under control and then show the composure to lift it over the goalkeeper.

“He’s had a run in the team and I think he’s been unlucky with some of the saves made against them. We just gave him a little breather.

“I felt it was the right time to put him and Zeli on. Zeli gives us a different option out wide and we’ve been missing him because of injury and illness.

“We put them on and they made a difference.”

Morecambe boss Derek Adams felt his struggling side deserved better.

He said: “We dominated the game and Bradford had one shot on target and scored. You wouldn’t have known who was the fourth-placed team.

“The supporters turned on their team at half-time getting the booing going and we knew we had a good opportunity.”

City now prepare for their trip to the County Ground at the weekend. Swindon won 2-1 at Plymouth with Eoin Doyle, who cannot play on Saturday, scoring his 23nd goal.

Bowyer said: “It will certainly be a better pitch down there and hopefully our boys are looking forward to that already.

“It’s an enormous amount of credit to them with how quickly the pitch has gone. They don’t hold that up as an excuse and found ways in the last two home games to win.”