Carlisle United boss delighted with battling Bradford City draw

A second consecutive 0-0 draw took the Blues back into the automatic promotion places.

Carlisle had the better of the first half before Mark Hughes’ Bantams came on strongly after the break.

Both sides hit the woodwork – Andy Cook for the hosts, and Jordan Gibson for United with the final kick – as an engrossing game ended level.

Simpson was delighted with his team’s endeavours despite United failing to find the finishing touch in their best spells.

“I think it’s a brilliant away point. What a fantastic game of football between two teams who were slugging it out with each other,” the Blues boss said.

“It’s such fine margins isn’t it – they hit the bar, but that shot from Gibbo at the end…I dread to think what the scenes would have been if it had just nestled in the bottom corner, as I thought it was going to.

“I thought we showed incredible strength of character and a real strong personality to hold out through the pressure we came under in the second half.

READ MORE: Jon Colman's big match verdict on Blues' draw with Bradford

“It’s a big point to take away, it really is.”

As ref Will Finnie blows for full-time, Jordan Gibson falls to the floor in disbelief after hitting the post with the last kick of the game (Image: Richard Parkes)

Simpson, who was without the injured Paul Huntington, was delighted with how the recalled Ben Barclay performed in defence, on a night he also shuffled his strikeforce with Kristian Dennis and Ryan Edmondson both promoted to the XI.

United made strong running in the opening 45 minutes before the second half required a defensive resolve.

“They put us right under the cosh [in the second half],” added Simpson. “They threw bodies forward and, I’ve got to say, Cook is a proper handful isn’t he?

“Then they bring [Vadaine] Oliver on and he was a handful. It was a tough night for us but thankfully we showed that defensive resilience we’ve got – players putting their body on the line making blocks, Tomas [Holy] looking really calm and composed.

“There were a lot of good things in the second half to back up the really good football that we had first half.

“I’m still demanding that we’re a bit better when we get into that final third and make better decisions, better pass, shot, cross, whatever it might be.

“I thought we turned the opportunity down to shoot too many times, but it’s also just about getting quality when we were in there. We didn’t quite have the quality to finish things off as well as we would have liked.

“If we do that we’ll certainly get back to scoring goals.”

A 16th clean sheet of the season, though, was good reward for a determined effort which saw United deny one of the EFL’s most in-form players in Cook.

Of their character and desire, Simpson said: “If [those qualities] weren’t there we’d have lost this game.

“I think the players showed different sides over the first and second half. That second half is just as important as the football in the first half – you have to have that.

“Credit to the players for doing that. I’m really pleased, it’s another clean sheet, another point, and it’s a point closer to where we want to go.”