Bradford City 1 AFC Wimbledon 2

 When Phil Parkinson handed over the City teamsheet, there was only one outcome in his head.

With names like Andrew Davies, Matt Duke, Jamie Devitt and Craig Fagan – solid higher-division names – on his list, he had every reason to feel confident about his first win as Bantams boss.

But what is it they say about best-laid plans?

As the boos subsided after the final whistle of another chastening afternoon, Parkinson was entitled to scratch his head and wonder when things will start going his way.

Instead it was opposing number Terry Brown who was holding court with the travelling press. Another manager trotting out that over-played mantra about a result that had “showed how far this team have come”.

Or, in City eyes, how far the home side have dipped. Once again a team of league new boys had arrived at Valley Parade like wide-eyed schoolboys before heading back home with three points safely in their pockets.

As Parkinson had said in the week, the AFC Wimbledon story is a football fairy-tale. In a sport too often dominated by greed and self-interest, the club that refused to die are the ultimate antidote.

Given the hurdles they have had to jump in the past decade, going a goal down on Saturday was pretty small beer for the men from south London.

Many of the current side have gone a fair bit of the journey with the club. The nucleus of the weekend winners had guided Wimbledon to promotion, not just from the Conference last season but the level below that as well.

As City have learned too often to their cost, the gap from the top echelon of non-league to this division is growing ever smaller. Wimbledon simply followed Crawley’s lead from the week before – and the likes of Burton, Accrington, Yeovil, Dagenham etc etc before that.

Given their longevity of playing together, Brown’s side were as close-knit as they come. The contrast with their hosts could not be greater.

But Parkinson refused to offer that up as an excuse for the way City again fell away after scoring first.

“Of course there have been changes at the club,” he said. “But when I wrote that team down, in my mind I was thinking ‘that’s a good side’.

“We’ve got some good players and the fact we haven’t won is a worry. But we will get better.

“There is a lot of potential in this squad and I know we will improve.”

Parkinson must get as fed up saying that as the fans are of hearing it. But look at some of those names again and question how City’s fortunes can possibly not turn round.

Yet news that the two teams below them, Hereford and Plymouth, had both picked up points just darkened the already sombre mood. Plymouth, hapless hard-up Plymouth, have now won as many league games as City – one.

Given the run of indifferent results so far, Saturday was the first time you could sense a shift in public feeling. Supporters are still behind this side – there is no antipathy like the Peter Taylor days – but the familiar doubts are beginning to resurface.

For all the decent CVs of the personnel at Parkinson’s call, there were a few murmurings among the season-ticket holders that once again all is not well.

The ease with which Wimbledon defended their 2-1 lead highlighted a feeling of “here we go again” both on and off the field. Parkinson addressed it publicly straight after the game but hard-bitten fans would rather see actions than words.

These players with decent reputations have to start showing why they made their name further up the ladder. At the moment, they are just members of a side that are technically the third worst in the country.

At least Fagan looked good coming off the bench again for the last half hour, even if he had to drop to the back four on one occasion to go looking for the ball. His first start is surely just around the corner – Burton’s Pirelli Stadium next week perhaps?

And Davies, recruited on Friday from Stoke, has got that touch of class about his play borne from learning his trade in the Premier League.

The centre half was thrown straight in at the expense of Guy Branston, who found himself relegated from captain to an unused substitute.

Davies admits the mood in the camp is understandably low but insists there is no need to panic about their lowly plight.

“Nothing like that has entered my head and I’m sure it’s the same for the rest of the boys.

“We’ve got to hold our hands up and say we didn’t play well enough to get anything from the game.

“We didn’t get tight enough and were having to react all the time. The lads will look at the way we played and where we went wrong.

“Everybody has bad games and it’s not a great position in the league but the lads are hurting, which is a great sign because it shows that they care.

“Fingers crossed we can turn it round next game. There are another 36 to go and things can change quickly in football.”

City’s problems remain two-fold. James Hanson still isn’t getting consistent service at one end and they still aren’t capable of keeping the door shut at the other.

Hanson, too often an isolated figure, almost got a gift goal on three minutes when Seb Brown’s panicky headed clearance pinged back off him and past the keeper before bouncing against the post.

But City did go in front in the 26th minute through a familiar route. Jamie Devitt won his third penalty when he got tangled up with Gareth Gwillim, and new skipper Michael Flynn blasted away another confident kick.

Having seen them blow a lead the week before, Parkinson had talked about the change of mindset needed.

Instead the advantage was frittered away again within five minutes.

Nobody closed down Luke Moore as he crossed into the box; nobody closed down Christian Jolley as he cushioned the header; nobody closed down Jack Midson’s smart half-volley into the top corner.

Wimbledon’s second goal 12 minutes after the restart was just as avoidable. Jolley’s curling strike was as sweet as can be but he had been given a ridiculous amount of time to set himself and pick his spot.

Ritchie Jones, City’s brightest player, and Fagan had efforts which briefly raised hope of a fightback to mark Valley Parade’s 125th birthday. But there was no conviction there – as Parkinson put it, too many had accepted the seemingly inevitable outcome.

So Wimbledon and their 525 noisy followers milked another landmark in their remarkable rise. For City, it was another uncomfortable dose of reality.