Reserve Team Match Report: Bradford City 0-1 Morecambe
A LATE goal from Charlie Bailey earned the Shrimps' second string victory over Bradford City in the Final Third Development League clash at the Bantams' Apperley Bridge training ground.
Morecambe skipper Bailey scored the only goal of the game ten minutes from time as Bradford suffered only their second defeat of the season.
Bradford started well with Sumaili Cissa firing wide a few minutes into the game before Billy Knott saw a shot well saved by Max Povey.
Apprentice defender Luca Mellor then tested Povey again shortly afterwards when he forced the goalkeeper to claim his header from a Bantams corner.
Having worn their red and black striped shirts for the first half, Morecambe were forced to wear their green training vests over the top following the interval, presumably because the officials thought the Shrimps' jerseys had looked too close to City's predominantly claret home shirts in the opening forty-five.
Morecambe produced the first opening in the second half when Adam Dudgale headed over from a wide free-kick but City came back at the visitors through a shot in the box by Cissa shortly afterwards that was saved by Povey.
Substitute Tom Windle then came within inches of giving City the lead when he struck the bar with a rising strike after being found in the area via a low cut-back from Ellis Hudson.
And the Bantams were made to pay for that near miss a couple of minutes later when Morecambe took the lead when after playing a one-two with Louis Myers, Bailey found himself in space inside City's penalty area and the midfielder finished well with a drilled strike past Hallwood.
Bradford tried to respond in the time remaining but substitute Daniel Devine saw a shot from just inside the box repelled by Povey before McBurnie fired over after a well-timed run into the area.