BRADFORD Town manager Danny Greaves says that he can take a ‘crumb of comfort’ from his side’s first defeat of season in the Toolstation League Premier Division.

The Bobcats were unable to make it 13 league games unbeaten on Saturday as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at leaders Street, who had David O’Hare dismissed for two bookable offences.

After the match, Bradford saw Billy Fletcher red-carded for clashing with the opposition.

However, while feeling that his team were below par at the Tannery Ground, Greaves felt that it did show that his side, who have now slipped to fourth in the table, belong in the higher echelons of the division.

“Street had a heavy defeat coming into this game (a 7-1 loss to Willand Rovers in the FA Vase) and it was probably their best performance of the season,” Greaves said.

“We were below the levels that we have set ourselves this season and the goals that they scored were from our own doing – so I can take a small crumb of comfort from that.

“You don’t like to lose any game of football, but given the start of the season we have had we can’t be too disappointed.

“I certainly think we deserve to be up there. I know that I have said this many times before, we can give any team in this division a good game, but when you don’t hit your levels then you will get beat.”

Bradford will now look to get back to winning ways on Saturday when they make the trip to newly-promoted Hengrove Athletic on Saturday.

However, Greaves will be without skipper Rickie Scott as he serves a one-match ban after picking up five bookings, while Fletcher starts his three-game suspension.

“It was a niggly game (on Saturday) and my personal opinion is that the referee could have handled the game a bit better,” the Bradford chief said.

“It was a top-of-the-table clash so there were always going to be a few tackles flying in.

“After the game Billy felt that he had been on the wrong end of a few decisions – it was a bit of handbags. He was sent off, and rightly so, but he will learn from it.

“We will feel his loss, but it does give the opportunity for a few of the other lads to stake their claim.”