Bantams slump goes on

City may have hoped for divine intervention by handing over matchday warm-up duties to club chaplain Andy Bowerman.

It didn't work, but all they really needed to end their current woe was an intervention of any kind - a well-timed tackle or bit of foresight.

On-loan Ipswich striker Dean Bowditch was the man who broke City's hearts again - making it five defeats in six - after coming off the bench to net an 89th-minute winner that could so easily have been prevented, with or without the man above.

Colin Todd's men had fought so hard to get on level terms having fallen behind 2-0 but one lapse in concentration as they squandered possession at the death meant they departed with their confidence in shreds again and continuing to fall down the League One table.

Brighton, meanwhile, can't put a foot wrong, having conversely secured a fifth win in six games to turn around their season, but they were fortunate to take these points.

Ben Parker nearly fired City in front after just 18 seconds, showing he was quickly settling into his central midfield role having replaced the injured Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, by perfectly timing a run in to the box to get on the end of Lee Holmes' cross.

Brighton keeper Michael Kuipers managed to deal with the header but was beaten by Dean Windass's curled free-kick soon after.

Unfortunately, the effort also flew just past the left-hand upright as well.

Then Jermaine Johnson made his first raid inside off the right flank to unleash another shot and so, although only five minutes had elapsed, City had created three fine chances to leave home fans more than hopeful of ending that slump.

They had been woefully bad at Blackpool but here there was a real sense of purpose.

However, soon Brighton dampened the optimism by catching the hosts cold at the other end.

There had already been a warning shot when dangerman Jake Robinson - hat-trick hero against Huddersfield last week - had sprinted clear from a foiled City attack and easily beaten Bower on halfway to put Alex Revell through.

His strike partner poked wide from the edge of the area as Donovan Ricketts loomed large but wouldn't spurn another opportunity like that and on 13 minutes he put the Seagulls ahead.

This time down the left, the former Ryman League hitman seemed a yard offside as he latched onto Dean Cox's hopeful stab forward and, with Ricketts hopelessly racing out of his area, he nudged home.

City were held up in their bid to immediately hit back when Richard Edghill landed awkwardly after winning a towering header over Tommy Fraser. There was a lengthy stoppage for the crocked left back, who tried to battle on but limped off a few minutes later to be replaced by Simon Ainge.

Mark Bower switched to the left and the teenage centre half slotted in alongside David Wetherall for his League debut.

Ainge looked assured from the off and pinged some lovely passes out from the back to Jermaine Johnson but City generally became too eager to pick the pace back up.

Parker won plenty of possession in the middle but when he was fouled his attempt to play a quick free-kick to Schumacher only fell into the feet of Dean Hammond, who immediately got his side on the attack once more.

Schumacher then wasted another free-kick by lofting it straight to Kupiers - a rare mistake by the midfielder - and City's fans grew increasingly frustrated, especially as Ricketts continued the habit of miscuing his kicks all over Valley Parade to throw away even more ball.

Indeed, the biggest cheer of the first half came typically when the Leeds score flashed up that they were losing 1-0 at Barnsley. By half-time though United were 2-1 in front and City were still behind.

That was largely due to a fantastic save from Kuipers. Windass made a great run towards the near post off Schumacher's corner and fired a thunderous right-footed volley on the run from 12 yards but the keeper somehow got down to produce a classy one-handed stop.

The half ended amid chaotic scenes after Schumacher was involved in an innocuous challenge with Revell just before the whistle blew.

Fiery Adam El-Abd - a poisonous figure all afternoon - charged over, jabbing a finger at the City midfielder's chest claiming he had used an elbow.

A massive melee broke out with Jermaine Johnson in the middle of it and subs, coaching staff and stewards all charging onto the field to try and break up the fracas and usher the players towards the tunnel.

That was at the other end of the pitch though and so it was a long walk to the dressing rooms. The arguments continued all the way down, referee Gary Sutton eventually brandishing a yellow card to El-Abd and, bizarrely, Wetherall.

The City skipper was as bemused as anyone as he had played no part in the scuffle, except maybe as peacemaker.

The normally cool-headed defender had to be held back by Nathan Doyle from remonstrating with the official before everyone was eventually bundled down the tunnel.

Only 72 seconds had elapsed in the second half when Brighton doubled their lead.

The City defence backed off Robinson for too long as he attacked from deep and eventually Wetherall brought down his mazy run inside the box, Hammond dispatching the spot-kick.

The hosts should have hit back on 51 minutes when Jermaine Johnson raced on to a perfect through ball from namesake Eddie but, having beaten the beleaguered Kerry Mayo, opted for glory instead of pulling back for the unmarked Holmes and Windass. They understandably went ballistic with their team-mate as the Jamaican's shot was beaten behind.

City did halve the deficit though when Windass powered in a penalty four minutes later after Butters had handled a long throw into the box. The veteran wheeled away and pulled up his jersey to show a T-shirt declaring "200" having been stuck on 199 for the last five matches.

Bower earned some retribution on El-Abd with a bone-jarring tackle as City raised the tempo and they thought they had equalised following a bizarre sequence in the 77th minute.

Holmes chased a long ball over the top but Hinshelwood got their first and lobbed back towards his keeper.

But Kuipers had got a touch of the Ricketts and inexplicably raced clear of his goal.

The ball looped over his head and seemed destined for the net yet Hinshelwood somehow raced back and spectacularly cleared off his own line to avoid a massive embarrassment.

While the ball was still in play, the defender turned to berate his stopper and it looked like the Brighton players might turn on themselves as tensions grew.

They escaped that close shave and when Wetherall's header from a corner was cleared off the line by Andrew Whing it seemed they had that divine intervention.

But the danger wasn't over and as the ball was fired back into the box, Schumacher pounced to rifle a crisp shot into the corner of the net and send the City fans delirious.

You could sense Todd's now confident men would go on and get the winner but Ricketts was called into action to turn an 85th-minute Dean Cox lob over the bar and then the Seagulls had City flapping.

City needlessly threw away possession once more deep in the Brighton half and a swift raid saw the hosts somehow out-numbered.

Revell beat the offside trap to speed clear down the right and you could see it all unfolding as Bowditch found space in the middle to slide in his team-mate's low cross.

The look of disbelief on the City players' faces was palpable as the boos rained down at the end but as Todd lamented afterwards, it was their own errors that led to another downfall.