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Match Report <DIV class=borderBottom><DIV class=sponsorStripTop style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(/javaImages/b0/e1/0,,~2941360,00.gif); WIDTH: 100%; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #adb3bc; TEXT-ALIGN: center">
</DIV><DIV class=article><DIV class=articleText><P align=justify>Martin Foyle swallowed his disappointment and made a beeline for Donovan Ricketts after the final whistle.
Port Vale's boss extended a hand to the Jamaican and told him: "Well played, big fella. I haven't seen two better saves in my life."
The two super stops Foyle was referring to from Akpo Sodje and Danny Whitaker were just as vital ingredients in City's first win for five games as the second-half goals themselves.
The block from midfielder Whitaker was absolutely crucial, coming in the three-minute period between Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and David Graham converting at the other end.
An immediate response to Bridge-Wilkinson's opener would have punctured the mood just as City were ready to slip into another gear.
They managed to do that but only thanks to their athletic goalkeeper stretching out his finger-tips and turning Whitaker's shot, which was bound for the bottom corner, a few inches the other side of the post.
Straight away, City were back on the attack and doubling their lead and the points had been sewn up - but not without a major assist from the "big fella".
After the frustration of the last four games, this was an all-round job well done as the Bantams got back on track.
Colin Todd had asked for points over performance and he was delighted to be rewarded with both.
But the biggest satisfaction came from the zero in the visitors' goal column, the first time this season that City have managed to keep the back door slammed shut at Valley Parade.
The home form has been good - no, compared with recent years, we should rephrase that and say the home form has been excellent - but the one nagging doubt has been the inability to prevent the opposition nicking at least one goal.
Breaking that duck will do wonders for confidence, not just among the back four but the team as a whole and Ricketts in particular.
By his high standards of last year, the keeper has had an indifferent start to the campaign. Nothing to seriously worry about but he had not been hitting the heights which City fans have become accustomed to.
There was a glimpse of the old form on Tuesday with a blinding effort to deny Carlisle's Zigor Aranalde in stoppage time. And on Saturday, it looked like business as usual with big saves, a trademark dribble round the opposing centre forward - even the kicking went right, apart from one early exception which he got away with.
Ricketts had made the point in midweek that City had to start keeping clean sheets. This was a big step in the right direction.
A broad grin as he slipped over in front of the away end after taking a goal kick said it all.
There were plenty of other reasons to smile from a performance that revived the early optimism that had been starting to fade after the last few results.
Vale are not on the best of runs and don't travel well but they are a lively outfit with a front two who had already bagged 11 goals between them and could not be taken lightly.
But City were well worth the victory, which could and should have been more emphatic as they carved a string of chances in the one-way traffic of the last 20 minutes.
Vale frontmen Sodje and Leon Constantine had the opportunities to threaten Ricketts early on but wasted them and the visitors were in trouble once defender Colin Miles saw red just after the half-hour mark.
Dean Windass sold Steve Schumacher a little short with his chest pass but the ball was still never there to be won by Miles. He thundered in regardl
</DIV><DIV class=article><DIV class=articleText><P align=justify>Martin Foyle swallowed his disappointment and made a beeline for Donovan Ricketts after the final whistle.Port Vale's boss extended a hand to the Jamaican and told him: "Well played, big fella. I haven't seen two better saves in my life."
The two super stops Foyle was referring to from Akpo Sodje and Danny Whitaker were just as vital ingredients in City's first win for five games as the second-half goals themselves.
The block from midfielder Whitaker was absolutely crucial, coming in the three-minute period between Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and David Graham converting at the other end.
An immediate response to Bridge-Wilkinson's opener would have punctured the mood just as City were ready to slip into another gear.
They managed to do that but only thanks to their athletic goalkeeper stretching out his finger-tips and turning Whitaker's shot, which was bound for the bottom corner, a few inches the other side of the post.
Straight away, City were back on the attack and doubling their lead and the points had been sewn up - but not without a major assist from the "big fella".
After the frustration of the last four games, this was an all-round job well done as the Bantams got back on track.
Colin Todd had asked for points over performance and he was delighted to be rewarded with both.
But the biggest satisfaction came from the zero in the visitors' goal column, the first time this season that City have managed to keep the back door slammed shut at Valley Parade.
The home form has been good - no, compared with recent years, we should rephrase that and say the home form has been excellent - but the one nagging doubt has been the inability to prevent the opposition nicking at least one goal.
Breaking that duck will do wonders for confidence, not just among the back four but the team as a whole and Ricketts in particular.
By his high standards of last year, the keeper has had an indifferent start to the campaign. Nothing to seriously worry about but he had not been hitting the heights which City fans have become accustomed to.
There was a glimpse of the old form on Tuesday with a blinding effort to deny Carlisle's Zigor Aranalde in stoppage time. And on Saturday, it looked like business as usual with big saves, a trademark dribble round the opposing centre forward - even the kicking went right, apart from one early exception which he got away with.
Ricketts had made the point in midweek that City had to start keeping clean sheets. This was a big step in the right direction.
A broad grin as he slipped over in front of the away end after taking a goal kick said it all.
There were plenty of other reasons to smile from a performance that revived the early optimism that had been starting to fade after the last few results.
Vale are not on the best of runs and don't travel well but they are a lively outfit with a front two who had already bagged 11 goals between them and could not be taken lightly.
But City were well worth the victory, which could and should have been more emphatic as they carved a string of chances in the one-way traffic of the last 20 minutes.
Vale frontmen Sodje and Leon Constantine had the opportunities to threaten Ricketts early on but wasted them and the visitors were in trouble once defender Colin Miles saw red just after the half-hour mark.
Dean Windass sold Steve Schumacher a little short with his chest pass but the ball was still never there to be won by Miles. He thundered in regardl