Bradford City 1 Burton Albion 1

Ever watched one of those TV programmes when you suddenly remember the ending halfway through?

You think it’s something new but then starts to look familiar and you see the punchline coming well before the finish.

For Burton on Saturday, read Morecambe the week before.

All right you didn’t have the histrionics of Kevin Ellison gurning along the touchline but otherwise this was a repeat of the previous home game.

City ahead, City on top, City blowing chances to put the game to bed, City getting pegged back in the closing minutes.

Another Valley Parade draw which, in popular football vernacular, “feels like a defeat”.

The final scoreline should come as no surprise for the statisticians. Five of the six games between the two sides since Burton rose from non-league have finished in draws.

But City should have been home and hosed by the time Burton stole their scruffy goal against an otherwise impeccable back four.

Andrew Davies, inevitably, was its heart and soul. And he was left scratching his head why his free-kick wonder strike just before half-time did not turn out the match-winner.

“It should have been 3-0 or 4-0 by the time they scored,” he said. “It was a similar scenario to Morecambe but I felt we played better this time.

“We defended well as a whole and they didn’t have any clear-cut chances. We were comfortable. But we always needed that second goal. You can’t hang on to a 1-0 lead to the last five minutes.”

Sadly City proved again that they can’t. But the defence should not shoulder any of the blame for that.

With no Luke Oliver, Lee Bullock stood shoulder to shoulder with Davies in his first start since the opening day. Rob Kozluk, at right back, declared himself fit to play despite missing most of the week’s training after his debut injury.

But you couldn’t see the join. Burton’s front two are as big a handful as you’ll get in League Two but City resolutely kept them at arm’s length.

Davies won his headers and went toe-to-toe with the imposing Zola. Bullock was the faithful sidekick, tidying up the loose balls and throwing himself into well-judged tackles.

Any niggling doubts Phil Parkinson might have had at the wisdom of letting Steve Williams head for Scotland were quickly blown away in the swirling rain.

Parkinson said: “Bully’s a cool customer and he showed it. Andrew was a collosus and Bully played with great intelligence.

“It was difficult for him coming into a high-tempo game on a very heavy pitch against two very good strikers but I thought he was superb.

“It’s credit to all the work he’s done in his rehab to complete the whole 90 minutes.”

At first it looked like Burton would be the defence creaking under the strain. Trying to nullify the pace of Nahki Wells earned early bookings for two of the back four and with first-year ref Lee Collins’ reputation for flashing red cards, City should have made hay.

But the first-half onslaught never materialised. James Hanson, who worked his socks off again for little reward, had an unsuccessful shout for a penalty but there was little of note at either end until Davies broke the dreary deadlock in stunning style.

Inevitably the goal came from a foul – one of over 20 that Collins awarded before the break.

Paul Peschisolido argued that Ryan Austin’s tug of Hanson’s shirt was a case of “six of one and half a dozen of the other” but there was no disputing the quality of Davies’ strike.

Lining up like Johnny Wilkinson preparing to slot over a penalty, the centre half seemed to shut himself off from the outside world before drilling the ball over the wall and into the top corner.

He said: “I just had that confidence that I’d hit the target and score.

“I scored a couple of free-kicks through my youth at Middlesbrough but never really taken any in league games. Hopefully now I can start practising them and get more goals.”

Peschisolido was unhappy with the position of keeper Ross Atkins, who seemed to get caught flat-footed. But he was to make amends with a fine save to deny Davies a second midway through the second half.

The defender’s header from a Craig Fagan corner was goal-bound until Atkins just managed to claw it against the post.

That was the closest City came to doubling their lead and guaranteeing a first win of the new year.

But there were plenty of other moments when they could and should have done better. Andy Haworth was the guiltiest party with some indifferent crosses from promising breaks but Fagan and Wells also scorned their opportunities.

With City failing to kill the game off, Peschisolido went for broke and threw on two more strikers for the final 20 minutes. Both had a part in the 85th-minute equaliser.

Holes had appeared in the middle of the park as the Bantams continued to flood forward for a second goal. Chris Palmer exploited one by pinging in an awkward cross from wide on the right.

It passed through several bodies before fellow sub Adi Yussuff nipped in front of Davies to apply the slightest of deflections past Jon McLaughlin.

Davies thought the pass had gone straight in but Yussuff was adamant he had made contact with the ball and celebrated accordingly. It wasn’t the taunting gestures that Ellison riled the crowd with the previous Saturday but the home hurt fell just the same. The script was a familiar one.