Bradford City 0 Harrogate Town 1: Lloyd Kerry 'delighted' to settle Yorkshire derby with second-half strike

Simon Weaver's men looked the better side for the majority of the contest and were ultimately rewarded for a high-tempo second-half performance that was full of endeavour and desire.

The visitors played plenty of tidy football without really doing enough to trouble Richard O'Donnell in the home goal, until midfielder Kerry popped up with a neat finish to register his third strike of the season.

"I saw a big space at the near post and made the run and it's a great delivery from Mullers [Jack Muldoon]," the 32-year-old midfielder said of his match-winning contribution.

"I tried to concentrate on my connection, I didn't want to hit it too hard and blaze it over. I managed to make good contact with it and luckily enough it's ended up in the net.

"This is a great result in a big Yorkshire derby to come here, score a goal, keep a clean-sheet and get the win, I'm delighted."

Harrogate began on the front foot and would go on to enjoy the lion's share of possession during the opening 45, though it was the Bantams who created the first clear opening of the night.

And it was all too easy for the hosts to cut Town open following a swift counter-attack down their right, one which ended with James Belshaw making a good save to thwart Lee Novak.

Undeterred, the visitors continued to engineer some promising situations, particularly down their right-hand side, though they were let down on a number of occasions by a lack of quality at the final moment.

At the other end, Belshaw got down to parry Clayton Donaldson's long-ranger, but was grateful to Will Smith for stepping in to clear the loose ball just before Novak could pounce inside the six-yard-box.

With 34 minutes on the clock, Harrogate fashioned the best opportunity of the half, Jack Muldoon delivering an excellent cross from the right that Jon Stead met in the middle of the goal, though his downward header was expertly pushed to safety by O'Donnell.

Just moments before half-time, an intelligent cross-field pass from Josh Falkingham released Ryan Fallowfield down the right and, although the full-back made the right decision to shoot, he could only blast wide of the near post.

The second period opened with Callum Cooke benefiting from some excellent hold-up play by Donaldson and dragging a shot narrowly wide of the mark with just Belshaw to beat.

And, although Bradford would continue to pose some questions of the Town rearguard, it was the away team who played the better, more cohesive football, operating at an intensity that City struggled to cope with at times.

Stead fired one instinctive effort over the cross-bar, but that finishing touch continued to elude Weaver's men until things finally came together in the 74th minute.

Muldoon delivered another fine cross from wide on the right and Kerry arrived at the near post to direct a deft finish across O'Donnell and into the net.

Minutes later, Falkingham picked Elliot Watt's pocket in midfield and was set to send Muldoon clean through on goal, only to be crudely brought to earth by the most cynical of foulds from behind by the Bantams midfielder.

A chance to wrap things up came and went on 83 minutes when Kerry raided down the middle of the pitch, then found Miller, whose centre was met by a Brendan Kiernan diving header that the substitute could only direct straight at O'Donnell.

A frantic finale ensued, however Town defended resolutely, and the only real opportunity for City to level matters came and went two minutes from the end of normal time when Austin Samuels sliced horribly wide from close range.

Victory for Harrogate lifts them up to eighth place in the League Two standings.

Bradford City: O'Donnell; French, O'Connor, Staunton, Wood; Sutton, Clarke (Samuels 69), Watt, Evans (Cooke 46); Novak, Donaldson (Guthrie 80). Unused substitutes: Hornby, Hosannah, Richards-Everton, Pritchard.

Harrogate Town: Belshaw; Fallowfield, Smith, Hall, Burrell; Thomson, Falkingham, Kerry, Miller; Stead (Martin 80), Muldoon (Kiernan 82). Unused substitutes: Cracknell, Jones, Kirby, Walker.

Referee: D Drysdale (Lincolnshire).