Stevenage 2
Bradford City 3
League (League Two)

Match report written by Neil Metcalfe, The Comet

Stevenage suffered a second home loss of the season and by the same score as Bradford City snatched victory.

Carl Piergianni had headed Boro into a first-half lead but two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second period put the Bantams in front.

Dan Sweeney levelled with 17 minutes to go but just as Stevenage looked like they would be the ones to grab the next goal, Bradford burst clear and Jamie Walker fired home to give the visitors a 3-2 win.

An idiot ran on the pitch at point and made a beeline for Andy Cook and it needed Alex Gilbey to do the job of the woefully slow-to-respond stewards.

The offender was shoved in disgust by some Boro fans as he went off but it summed up a black day for Boro.

There were three changes from the draw with Sutton.

In came Jake Forster-Caskey, Josh March and the fit again Dan Sweeney.

Jake Reeves, who missed out altogether, Luke Norris and Jonathan Tomkinson were the three they replaced.

The first half was dominated by grumbles from both benches and the fans as the referee didn't give decisions they wanted.

It did lead to a fractious period of play that was not conducive to a spectacle.

But the longer the half went on, the more Stevenage created chances.

They opened the scoring from one of many corners. The Boro players peeled off from a central column with Piergianni adapting his run when he saw the trajectory of Forster-Caskey's delivery.

He connected with it and while it didn't have maximum power behind it, it was on target and went through the hands of Harry Lewis in the Bradford goal.

March, making his first start for the club, was given a glorious chance to make it two but his shot from a central position clipped a defender and went over the top.

Michael Bostwick had another chance that took a deflection and was saved comfortably.

There were plenty of scraps which on another day may have resulted in fouls, two coming as Luther James-Wildin delivered a fine low cross from the right.

But that was pretty much the last action for the full-back, a bang on the left hip accounting for him in the final minute of stoppage time and bringing about the introduction of Tomkinson.

An early goal in the second period was exactly what Bradford needed and it was exactly what they got, Derbyshire thumping a looping and dipping effort from just outside the area in off the crossbar.

A second was not in the script though but after pulling and shoving in the box as a free-kick was played in, the referee pointed to the spot for a foul by Sweeney.

Cook put it into the corner to Andresson's left and at that point Bradford were rampant.

Both were avoidable goals to concede though, Jamie Roberts had given the ball away cheaply for the first and then Boro had not reacted as the attack quickly developed.

For the second, the ref had already spoken to Sweeney before the delivery of the set-piece and was watching for any indiscretion.

Boro needed to make a quick reply but it took them 10 minutes to open Bradford up, although they almost scored from it.

The cross from Roberts was sensational, whipped in from the left with pace and met by the head of March.

Lewis didn't have much time to react but he was still able to fling himself to his left and push it away.

They would have better luck shortly after, with another set-piece proving fruitful.

Forster-Caskey again delivered it on the money and Sweeney made up for the giving away of the penalty by heading it over Lewis and into the roof of the net.

But just as Boro seemed to have wrestled control from the visitors, City scored on one of their rare forays forward, Walker running in on goal and putting it beyond Andresson.

There was still one more chance for Boro, Norris with a header back off the bar with Lewis close to pushing it out.

But they wouldn't get another.