Burton Albion 2 Bradford City 2

 Maybe Phil Parkinson should lose his rag more often if Kyel Reid’s reaction was anything to go by.

The winger had been on the wrong end of a few rollickings from his boss during the week after a woeful effort against Wimbledon.

Parkinson made Reid sit through a DVD of where he had gone wrong and what improvements were expected.

And the response at Burton on Saturday was as exciting an exhibition of wing play as you will see. Like Omar Daley on one of those unplayable days, Reid made things happen every time he came into contact with the ball.

When the disappointment subsides from seeing City squander a two-goal lead, those who were there can look back on an afternoon of far more positives than negatives. And nobody shone brighter than the golden-booted Reid.

Parkinson said: “He owed us that. I was as angry as I’ve ever been with a player last week and we had several chats about it.

“On reflection, Reidy’s been good since he’s been here and that was his first real dip.

“But with players like that, sometimes you’ve got to put up with one or two deficiencies because they can win you the game.

“I’d pay to watch him play because he does really excite me. The goal he scored was top quality and that’s what he’s got.”

Read the quotes again and it could be Stuart McCall talking about Daley from games gone by. For those questioning whether Reid should be in the side ahead of Jack Compton, the answer could not have been more emphatic.

At this point, it would have been nice to report that Reid’s trickery inspired City to a long overdue first win for Parkinson. Again, that is not the case.

City have still not managed a clean sheet in the league since April 5 and Burton’s comeback kept alive their run of scoring in every outing this season.

Parkinson, though, looked a happier man afterwards. He genuinely believes that his team will improve more and more as games go on.

Sunderland’s Adam Reed was the latest new face in midfield, shunting Ritchie Jones into a wide-right role that he was not especially comfortable with. Reid later switched sides but that position remains an enigma.

Parkinson is still talking of “one or two more additions” although City are currently hitting a brick wall with Paul Benson. Charlton seem surprisingly reluctant sellers, particularly to their former manager.

In the mean time, James Hanson continues to lead the line and looked better for having Craig Fagan up there to share the load. No longer left to fend for himself, the big man had a quick-witted, skilful partner, whose display embodied Parkinson’s mantra that this team is a work in motion.

Fagan, like City, will improve with practice. The sharpness is lacking – a fully-firing Fagan would surely have pounced on Reid’s inviting early through ball – but his touch and football brain was clear for all to see.

His 79-minute stint was longer than his manager had planned and Parkinson was still reluctant to take him off.

He said: “He was playing so well and was so important holding on to the ball for us. But sometimes as a manager you’ve got to sacrifice ten to 15 minutes to protect the player.

“Supporters have got to understand that Craig hadn’t started a game for over a year. Birmingham and Cardiff wanted him and if he’d been 100 per cent fit we wouldn’t have got him here. But to put in a performance like that and get through injury-free as well gives us great hope.”

City’s mood was sky high during a one-sided opening third of the game. They were in control right from the off and Reid, who else, needed only six minutes to take on a reluctant defence before sweeping home a sweet effort from 20 yards.

Ten minutes later, the winger received the ball from Fagan and slipped past Andy Corbett before providing Hanson with his fourth goal of the season. Calvin Zola apart, Burton did not threaten an obvious response until the closing stages of the half.

Zola, who was generally well handled by Andrew Davies and Luke Oliver, nodded across goal and forced a save from Duke.

But the keeper won’t be happy at getting beaten at his near post six minutes before the break as Billy Kee got in ahead of Liam Moore to shoot Burton back in it.

His third goal in as many games came totally against the run of play but it instantly shifted the momentum and City’s lead had been wiped out before both sides had reached the sanctuary of the cool dressing rooms. What is it about City and added time?

Three minutes had been tacked on when Duke parried a Jimmy Phillips’ cross-shot. Kee looked certain to claim his second as the unguarded net beckoned but instead clattered the post.

Still the danger was far from over. City could not clear the ensuing scramble and Adam Bolder’s shot was blocked by Robbie Threlfall.

The full back turned away to cover Duke as the keeper pounced on the loose ball but referee Eddie Ilderton, who gave City little all day, had spotted a handball and Justin Richards sunk the penalty with the last kick of the half.

Threlfall tweeted his innocence straight after the game and Parkinson also questioned the legitimacy of the official’s call.

“Robbie’s hand was down by his shorts,” he argued. “Unless I’m mistaken, the rule says that if your arm’s in its natural position then it’s not a penalty.”

The whole outlook had suddenly changed. The sun continued to beat down but there were familiar clouds looming over the visitors.

The first half hour was as good as City have played under Parkinson’s watch but arguably their second-half performance would carry more significance.

At 3.30pm, the final scoreline sounded laughable. Twenty minutes later, most City fans would have snapped your hand off to go home with a point.

The overwhelming consensus at half-time was that there would be only one winner. The pessimism was understandable given their team’s questionable mental strength under pressure.

So the fact that there were no further goals was a definite step in the right direction.

Davies could have come off at the break after taking a whack on the temple but he stayed on to battle through and summed up City’s attitude to make sure they did not let the whole lot slip.

Parkinson had warned his players at the break against a repeat of their no-show in the second half at Crawley. He was pleased the message hit home.

“I thought it was a big 45 minutes for us going forward as a group,” he said. “We needed a response and we got that.

“To lose the lead right on half-time to a soft penalty decision was a blow but we responded well.

“The supporters who were here will be disappointed that we didn’t win it. But I hope they came away knowing they’d seen a good performance.”