Game Summary:
It was not exactly the result David Wetherall would have hoped for to mark 300 league games in a City shirt.
But at least Eddie Johnson's second-half header ensured the skipper's milestone had a happier ending.
Johnson goals are like buses and come along together. For the second time this season he has scored in back-to-back games.
Mark Bower had celebrated ten years as a City player at the weekend with a win and a clean sheet. Lively visitors Barnet made sure his central-defensive partner could not enjoy the same scenario.
There may have been little resting on the outcome in league terms but the fans were certainly up for it from the off with the early exchanges accompanied by a constant chorus of "Stuart McCall's Bradford army" from the Kop.
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Highlights (UK only) Virgin Media
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Match Stats
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STAT ATTACK
City / Bees
4 Shots On Target 10
6 Shots Off Target 10
4 Fouls (Conceded) 6
4 Corners 4
0 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
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T&A )
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Ed over heels at equaliser
By Simon Parker
It was not exactly the result David Wetherall would have hoped for to mark 300 league games in a City shirt.
But at least Eddie Johnson's second-half header ensured the skipper's milestone had a happier ending.
Johnson goals are like buses and come along together. For the second time this season he has scored in back-to-back games.
Mark Bower had celebrated ten years as a City player at the weekend with a win and a clean sheet. Lively visitors Barnet made sure his central-defensive partner could not enjoy the same scenario.
There may have been little resting on the outcome in league terms but the fans were certainly up for it from the off with the early exchanges accompanied by a constant chorus of "Stuart McCall's Bradford army" from the Kop.
They were nearly rewarded when Omar Daley's teasing cross proved just too high for Johnson, who was again partnering Barry Conlon up front.
City almost suffered a self-inflicted blow after ten minutes when Bower and Scott Loach both went for the same ball in the six-yard box and collided. Bower stayed down as the danger was temporarily cleared and there were loud boos as Barnet refused to put the ball out and carried on playing until Anthony Thomas shot over.
City knew all about Jason Puncheon's shooting prowess after his stunning free-kick at Underhill in September. But his right foot proved nowhere near as deadly as the left as he totally skewed an effort from 20 yards.
Some slack defending from Ben Starosta allowed Adam Birchall in for the first genuine opportunity after 19 minutes. Having brushed off the right back too easily, Birchall found Loach a sterner test as the big keeper was out quickly to block.
City responded with a slick passing move and Colbeck delivered an inviting cross that was just flicked away from Conlon's waiting head by the penalty spot.
Daley showed his frustrating side by turning into trouble having already beaten his marker Joe Devera - and within seconds the home crowd was cursing even more as Barnet grabbed the lead.
Again it was hesitant defending that caused their undoing. Thomas unleashed a thunderbolt that flew past Loach and rocked the bar before bouncing back out.
Nobody in a claret and amber shirt reacted to the let-off and Birchall eased between Starosta and Bower before planting a well-placed drive into the bottom corner of the net.
City looked to fashion an immediate response and Johnson peeled off to the right before setting up Kyle Nix on the edge of the area. He wriggled on to his favoured left side but his shot drifted wide.
Colbeck then set off on an exhilarating run through the middle, gliding through three challenges before laying off to Johnson. But the midfielder-cum-striker's shot could not match the build-up and Barnet keeper Lee Harrison remained unchallenged.
The two wingers looked City's best bet but there were groans when Colbeck opted to have a go himself rather than pass to better options and shot weakly at the keeper.
And Barnet should have gone two up six minutes before the break as Thomas' tricky movement again created too much space. He found himself one on one with Loach to the left of the City goal but the keeper again made himself big to pull off another vital block.
Loach had to field another long-range try from Thomas as Barnet's front two continued to revel in their surroundings and the generosity of their hosts.
The crowd's patience was being tested and snapped when Daley switched off twice and cheaply gave away possession.
Stuart McCall had seen enough of the Jamaican's wastefulness as well and Daley did not reappear for the second half. Instead, Luke Medley was given a run-out up front with Johnson returning to his usual central midfield role.
McCall, having watched the first 45 minutes from the stand, was now pitchside to direct operations and no doubt get in a few ears during the slack moments.
The first-half shortcomings had certainly been out of character with the recent upturn in performances. Puncheon served an early warning before the busy Barry Conlon attempted a snap-shot that drifted across goal. Then Conlon's flying header forced a block from Harrison and Wetherall tucked in the rebound but the flag was up for offside against the Irishman.
But at least City had picked it up again and Johnson ghosted into the box to glance a header wide from Paul Heckingbottom's cross.
Nicky Nicolau's slice landed to Medley in exactly the same spot where he scored his wonder goal against Wrexham but his ambitious attempt to repeat that flew wide.
City were protesting with the officials again as Nix went down in the box under pressure from two blue shirts.
Heckingbottom's control let him down as he shaped to shoot which allowed Barnet to counter quickly again from their own half. But fortunately for City, Max Porter's pass to the unmarked Birchall was too hefty.
McCall decided it was time for another fresh face and Willy Topp came on for Penford. The Chilean, who is waiting for a date to go under the surgeon's knife within the next week, slotted in on the left side.
Bower was just edged out from a City corner and then Wetherall earned a cheer with a couple of touchline step-overs that Cristiano Ronaldo would have been proud of. But there was still no real sign of an equaliser, with Harrison's goal pretty much untested.
That all changed with 15 minutes left as Medley finally forced the keeper into a proper save at the expense of a corner.
It was to prove costly for Barnet, as Colbeck's kick was met by Johnson's deft near-post header to level.
The midfielder/striker's second goal in four days transformed the atmosphere and now City were sensing all three points.
Colbeck, in particular, had a spring in his step and created blind panic in the Barnet rearguard before Conlon's misplaced pass intended for Medley eased the danger.
It should have been 2-1 after 81 minutes as Barnet were again cut open.
Conlon dinked a first-time ball to the far post where Medley allowed it to bounce instead of going for the header and Topp flicked over the bar as his team-mate's close presence put him off.
Then it was Barnet's turn to almost pinch it with four minutes left when two players beat the offside trap from Neil Bishop's pass.
Fortunately, Birchall could not get enough height on his attempted lob and Loach caught it comfortably.
In a wide-open finish, Conlon's header was saved at one end and Puncheon lashed over at the other.
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Official match report
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Misc. Report(s)
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Stuart McCall has won praise for coming to terms with life in League Two.
Eddie Johnson scored for the second successive City game last night to salvage a 1-1 home draw against Barnet.
The point was enough to move McCall's men up a place to ninth - their highest position since September - and experienced Bees boss Paul Fairclough believes that is proof his rookie opposite number is learning the management ropes.
Fairclough said: "Stuart McCall has to be commended for the way he has pulled the season round. He is learning about the players at this level and has slowly got to grips with it."
City had fallen behind to Adam Birchall's strike midway through the first half, scoring from the rebound after Anthony Thomas blasted against the woodwork.
McCall admitted: "If that first shot goes in then you've got to say it's a great goal. But we were so sloppy to react when it came off the bar.
"That lifted them and we went into our shells a little bit but I told the players at half-time that there would be chances for us. It was that sort of game and very open.
"Scott Loach had too much to do from our point of view but he showed what a good keeper he is. But we kept at it and I quite enjoyed the second half; I felt we deserved the point.
"We put a heck of a lot into it on Saturday and I thought we might struggle a bit later on but we came stronger and kept going. I thought we showed a lot of good energy and we had a couple of chances near the end to have won it."
Barry Conlon went closest but saw his later header saved by Lee Harrison.
Willy Topp, who came on as a second-half substitute, will have his calf operation next Wednesday. The specialist has given the Chilean the all-clear to continue playing until the surgery and he will again be involved at Brentford.
City will also have leading scorer Peter Thorne available for the weekend trip to London.
Thorne has missed the last two games with a niggle in his hip and McCall said: "We just wanted to make sure it cleared up."
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Craig Bentham has returned from his 3 month loan spell at Farsley Celtic. He won't be featuring in City's squad yet as he has a niggling injury he's been carrying in recent weeks.
TJ Moncur has left the club and rejoined Fulham after spending 2 months on loan at City.
City have offered professional contracts for next season to young trio Matthew Convey, Luke Sharry and Adie Bellamy.
Leon Osborne and Liam Smith have been given more time to impress the coaching staff before a decision is made but Liam Bartle, Paul Bowes, Kallum Griffiths and Brinsley Sheridan are being released.
Griffiths is currently on work experience at Sunderland and Bowes has had trials with Stockport and Accrington.
The City Gent sponsored three youth team players this season and only Adrian Bellamy has been offered a professional contract. From reading the programme notes of the youth team games this season I'm surprised that Liam Bartle isn't being kept on, but it was mentioned in last night's programme that he has gained a place at York University to study physiotherapy.
Wethers excited about next season
David Wetherall may have been unaware of his midweek milestone but he insists City will not let this season pass off just as quietly.
The Bantams are now ninth after Tuesday's draw with Barnet - their highest position in League Two since September 22.
Wetherall knows the campaign will not pan out in the promotion push he had targeted but the skipper believes the second-half recovery is putting down a marker to have a real go next term.
He said: "It's nice to look on the first page of teletext and see us up there. I know our aims at the start of the season were higher than that but I think we've applied ourselves well as a squad since the Mansfield game.
"We said we wanted to finish the season positively and it's nice to get on a run of results and performances.
"The chairman's right when he said we can really look forward to next season. We're not a million miles off now and I'm sure the gaffer will be looking to strengthen over the summer.
"So if we're not all that far off now and we're going to get stronger next year, then I'm quite excited about what we can do."
Wetherall, who takes up his new role as first-team coach in the summer, marked his 300th league game for the club with a typically solid display - but he did not have a clue that it was an anniversary occasion.
He admitted: "It's a new one on me but it's another milestone that I just managed to get to.
"It was a really open game because of the way we lined up and Barnet had a lot of joy on the break in the first half. I thought we played some decent stuff for the first 20 minutes without particularly threatening and then they began to control it.
"It was important we came out in the second half and put them on the back foot, which we did. In the end we fully deserved a point on our second-half performance and kept our little run going.
"Sometimes it can be difficult when you're in that mid-table area at the end of the season but I don't think anyone who's watched us in the last few weeks would say that we are a team in the middle with nothing to play for."
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