AFC Wimbledon were left frustrated by a stubborn Bradford City side as the two teams played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw.
A red card for Bradford's Jamie Walker appeared to be tipping things in our favour during the final 30 minutes, but we couldn’t quite find the final pass to make our pressure count.
Nevertheless, it’s another point on the board that keeps us well in the hunt for the play-off spots in Sky Bet League Two – particularly at this crucial post New Year stage of the season.
Another welcome clean sheet is also something to applaud, especially given the performance of our back four and keeper when called into action.
Johnnie Jackson made two changes to the side which started our 0-0 draw against Crewe Alexandra, with captain Alex Woodyard coming in for Lee Brown and Sam Pearson replacing Courtney Senior. This meant we reverted to a back four with Harry Pell being pushed up in behind Josh Davison.
Meanwhile, new signings Ali Al-Hamadi and Armani Little featured on the bench, alongside Aron Sasu.
The Bantams were first to threaten as Abo Eisa arrowed in a shot that was easy for Nik Tzanev to deal with. Alex Pearce also had a header saved from an Ethan Chislett free-kick in the opening 20 minutes.
Our high press certainly created openings but we couldn’t quite find the final pass required to make it count in the opening 45 minutes.
The visitors threatened again after the break, with Huseyin Biler having to stay alert to head clear off the line following an attempt that came about from a corner. Walker was then sent off for a second bookable offence, giving us a big advantage for the final half an hour of the game.
As the pressure grew on our opponents, Chislett forced Harry Lewis into a great save after a corner wasn’t properly cleared. Our number 11 then tested the keeper again with a signature free-kick.
Tzanev made a crucial save as Bradford threatened against the run of play, and at the other end our late and sustained pressure failed to result in a late winner.
AFC Wimbledon: Nik Tzanev, Alex Woodyard, George Marsh (Ali Al-Hamadi), Harry Pell (Armani Little), Josh Davison, Ethan Chislett, Alex Pearce, Huseyin Biler, Jack Currie (Lee Brown), Sam Pearson (Courtney Senior), Paul Kalambayi
PICS: Ian Stephen (Pro Sports Images)