BRADFORD Town boss Paul Shanley admitted his side were fortunate to have avoided an even bigger hiding after they were stunned 4-1 at home by Gillingham Town.

The visitors were 2-0 up at half-time in the Premier Division showdown and had another goal in the bank before Matt Morris got one back for Bradford.

There was no sign of a home revival, though, and Gillingham pulled further clear before the final whistle.

Shanley said: "It came as a big surprise to me. We have been on a good run and beaten some good sides but we just didn't turn up.

"If a couple of players have an off-day you can sometimes get away with it but not when they all do.

"In the second half we were a little better and got a goal but we could have been there all night and not got another one.

"It was a bad day all round. They had a couple of chances to score even more and will probably feel they should have."

Bradford now play host to local rivals Melksham Town on Boxing Day.

Shanley said: "It's a big local derby. We had them in the Wiltshire Cup not long ago and lost 3-1.

"It was a similar performance to Saturday, so we feel like we owe them one."