Exeter City moved up to at fourth in the League Two table on Saturday as they severely dented Bradford City's promotion hopes with a 4-1 victory St James's Park.
The West Yorkshire side had gone into the match looking the gap between them and Exeter, who started the day in the last play-off place in seventh. But in the end it was the Grecians who came out on top with goals from Lawson D'Ath, Scot Bennett and John O'Flynn along with an own goal from Bradford's Matt Duke.
Bradford started the match brightly sending a couple of dangerous crosses into the box, but Exeter took the lead in the 11th minute when Craig Woodman's inswinging corner caused problems at the back post. Matt Duke tried to push the cross wide of his goal, but ended up palming the ball onto his post where it cannoned back out of his goal, off his head and into the net.
Bradford had chances to draw level, with the best opportunity falling to Andrew Davies who blasted a shot over from seven yards out after a corner had dropped to him on the edge of the six yard box.
However, it was another cross from Exeter that brought the second goal as the energetic Jake Gosling crossed from the right. The ball took a deflection on its way to the back post, where D'Ath nodded home on his debut.
Bradford manager Phil Parkinson rang the changes at half-time bringing on Zavon Hines and Kyle Reid and switching to a 4-4-2 formation. And it was Hines who nodded the ball into the path of James Hanson shortly after the restart only for the stocky striker to put his effort a foot wide of the post from the edge of the box.
Reid was arguably the star performer in Bradford City's team though and he created numerous chances for the visitors with his crosses into the box. The best of which fell to Hanson who blasted a volley over the top when it seemed easier to score.
However, Bradford did get back into the match on 79 minutes when Reid's corner from the right found its way into the net at the near post, with the aid of a deflection.
The come back was cut short though as Exeter broke up the other end an John O'Flynn cut the ball back for Scot Bennett to cap an excellent performance by sending a shot past Duke from the egde of the area.
City's win was then completed late on as Mark Molesley, another player who impressed in the centre of midfield, fed a pass into O'Flynn at the back post and the Irish striker slid in to score from two yards out.
Exeter City: Krysiak, Woodman, Bennett, Baldwin, Coles, Davies, Amankwaah, O'Flynn, D'Ath (Koehane 70), Molesley, Gosling (Tully, 74). Subs: Evans, Cureton, Bauza, Dawson, Moore-Taylor
Bradford City: Duke, Darby, Davies, Hanson, Thompson (Reid 45), Atkinson, McHugh, Connell, Jones, Nelson (Wells, 82), Doyle (Hines, 45). Subs: McLaughlin Meredith, Ravenhill, McArdle.
The West Yorkshire side had gone into the match looking the gap between them and Exeter, who started the day in the last play-off place in seventh. But in the end it was the Grecians who came out on top with goals from Lawson D'Ath, Scot Bennett and John O'Flynn along with an own goal from Bradford's Matt Duke.
Bradford started the match brightly sending a couple of dangerous crosses into the box, but Exeter took the lead in the 11th minute when Craig Woodman's inswinging corner caused problems at the back post. Matt Duke tried to push the cross wide of his goal, but ended up palming the ball onto his post where it cannoned back out of his goal, off his head and into the net.
Bradford had chances to draw level, with the best opportunity falling to Andrew Davies who blasted a shot over from seven yards out after a corner had dropped to him on the edge of the six yard box.
However, it was another cross from Exeter that brought the second goal as the energetic Jake Gosling crossed from the right. The ball took a deflection on its way to the back post, where D'Ath nodded home on his debut.
Bradford manager Phil Parkinson rang the changes at half-time bringing on Zavon Hines and Kyle Reid and switching to a 4-4-2 formation. And it was Hines who nodded the ball into the path of James Hanson shortly after the restart only for the stocky striker to put his effort a foot wide of the post from the edge of the box.
Reid was arguably the star performer in Bradford City's team though and he created numerous chances for the visitors with his crosses into the box. The best of which fell to Hanson who blasted a volley over the top when it seemed easier to score.
However, Bradford did get back into the match on 79 minutes when Reid's corner from the right found its way into the net at the near post, with the aid of a deflection.
The come back was cut short though as Exeter broke up the other end an John O'Flynn cut the ball back for Scot Bennett to cap an excellent performance by sending a shot past Duke from the egde of the area.
City's win was then completed late on as Mark Molesley, another player who impressed in the centre of midfield, fed a pass into O'Flynn at the back post and the Irish striker slid in to score from two yards out.
Exeter City: Krysiak, Woodman, Bennett, Baldwin, Coles, Davies, Amankwaah, O'Flynn, D'Ath (Koehane 70), Molesley, Gosling (Tully, 74). Subs: Evans, Cureton, Bauza, Dawson, Moore-Taylor
Bradford City: Duke, Darby, Davies, Hanson, Thompson (Reid 45), Atkinson, McHugh, Connell, Jones, Nelson (Wells, 82), Doyle (Hines, 45). Subs: McLaughlin Meredith, Ravenhill, McArdle.
