'Sticky' Sixfields pitch contributed to lack of quality in Bradford City draw

Whilst there was no shortage of endeavour or commitment from either side, a lack of composure and guile in the final third meant chances were at a premium throughout. Bradford did go close on a couple of occasions, particularly when Curtis Tilt hit the post and Dean Campbell cleared Antoni Sarcevic’s shot off the line, but it was otherwise slim-pickings.

"It’s a good point and a point was the least we deserved,” said Alexander. “We stood up to the challenge and we landed on a lot of second balls but we just couldn’t find that killer touch in the final third. It wasn’t for the want of trying.

"There were moments when the sticky pitch didn’t help the players, it was extremely long and dry and the ball-carriers struggled to get the ball out of their feet, and at times we made wrong decisions. but the effort was there. There was a bit of frustration from our players in the first half about certain aspect but we put that to one side and showed a positive attitude all the way through.

"Northampton had a difficult result last week so they would have been doubly determined to put on a show and I thought their commitment was strong, but it was a good performance away from home. If we had won the game 1-0, I don’t think anyone could have argued that we didn’t deserve the three points.”

Nolan shared similar sentiments after his side improved as the game went on without creating anything meaningful, saying: "The pitch is a bit dry and long and both sides seemed to struggle for fluency. We probably shaded the second half but we didn’t have the quality.

"But it's a new group and they're working really hard and they're training really well and I've been really pleased with the information they have taken on. We just missed that little bit of quality today and that's the way it went. The quality wasn't quite there for either side and we didn't put them under sustained pressure."