BRADFORD Town put their disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Willand Rovers last Wednesday firmly behind them with a dominant win at Bridport.

Paul Shanley’s side had to be patient, however, as they were only able to put the game to bed in the closing stages.

After a lacklustre first half, Bradford were much improved in the second but failed to make the most of their chances.

It looked set to be another frustrating day for Shanley but Bradford finally snatched the points when teenager Dexter Chipeni, Mark Wall and top scorer Sam Jordan all struck in the last eight minutes.

Boss Shanley said: “It was good to bounce back from Wednesday.

“It wasn’t a great game in the first half but in the second we were totally dominant.

“We had a number of chances which we didn’t take and you start to think it’s going to be one of those days but then we scored three goals in the last eight minutes.

“We were slow out of the blocks and conditions were difficult to play football in.

“We tweaked a few things at half-time and fair play to the lads, they took that on and we controlled the game.”

The victory was Bradford's eighth in their last 10 league matches, a run of form that has seen them climb into the upper reaches of the table.

Shanley reckons runaway leaders Melksham Town are too far ahead but he thinks second place is still up for grabs.

“We are all playing for second place. I can’t see anyone catching Melksham,” said Shanley.

“There’s still a lot to play for and if someone had offered us top four at the start of the season we’d have snatched their hand off.

“We knew it would be a tough season but the lads have been tremendous.”

Bradford will be hoping to strengthen their claims for a second-placed finish when they travel to mid-table side Slimbridge on Saturday.

Shanley added: “I thought they were one of the best sides we’ve played in footballing terms.

“They’ve got a good home record so it’ll be a hard game.”