SUPER-SUB Josh Carson converted the winning penalty to send York City through to the second round of the Capital One Cup 4-2 on penalties.

Scott Flinders also saved spot kicks from Tony McMahon and Christopher Routis to help win the shoot-out after the score had finished 2-2 after extra-time.

Others to succeed from 12 yards for the Minstermen were Keith Lowe, James Berrett and Reece Thompson – the latter only just after appeared Ben Williams had initially saved his effort.

Josh Morris and James Hanson will have felt no consolation despite scoring their penalties for the Bantams.

The result means the Minstermen negotiated the first round of the competition for the first time since beating Port Vale over two legs back in 1997.

Routis’ spectacular volley had earlier given the visitors a half-time lead.

But Luke Summerfield levelled with a penalty early in the second period and, after Alan Sheehan missed a spot kick for Bradford, Berrett’s brilliant free kick looked to have won the tie for the Minstermen on 85 minutes.

Sub Hanson, though, pounced for the Bantams with just 30 seconds of the four added-on minutes left to play to force extra-time.

City boss Russ Wilcox kept faith with the same starting line-up that kicked off the season with a 3-0 defeat at Wycombe on Saturday, while former Bootham Crescent favourite James Meredith was left out of the Bantams’ side altogether.

Having waited until the 93rd minute to muster a shot on target at the weekend, City took just 13 seconds to test Williams but, after Vadiane Oliver robbed right-back Tony McMahon of possession, his 20-yard drive was safely gathered.

Bradford gradually eased themselves into the encounter with lively left-winger Mark Marshall, whose trickery led to first-half bookings for Russell Penn and Summerfield, finding space down the side of Marvin McCoy.

But the visitors’ opening goal came from the opposite flank when Stephane Zubar was adjudged to have fouled Luke James.

Sheehan swung in the resulting free kick to the far post, where an untracked Routis had peeled off and his perfectly-struck volley rifled past a helpless Flinders.

Moments later, Sheehan stung Flinders’ hands from distance before Thompson got under a header five yards out at the other end after Oliver had won the ball at the far post following Summerfield’s left-wing free kick.

Routis went on to sidefoot a second volley narrowly wide after escaping City’s attentions again from another Sheehan free kick before the half ended with the Minstermen’s David Tutonda firing off target following Summerfield’s right-wing cross.

The scores were level, though, four minutes into the second half after Thompson brushed Bantams captain Gary Liddle and tumbled in the box.

Summerfield despatched the resulting spot kick unerringly in front of the David Longhurst Stand, finding Williams’ bottom right-hand corner as the latter dived the other way.

Former Blackpool striker Steven Davies should have restored Bradford’s lead almost immediately but headed wastefully wide after being picked out by Sheehan.

Davies also saw an attempted chip grabbed out of the air by Flinders before the Minstermen rallied with Thompson hooking narrowly wide of an empty goal after Williams had been lured off his line by Summerfield’s searching forward pass.

A positive burst to the edge of the penalty box by Berrett also ended in a rather excited shot over the visitors’ bar by the former Yeovil midfielder.

But, just as the Minstermen were getting on top, Tutonda’s naive sliding challenge upended Davies just a matter of inches inside the home box.

Sheehan, whose wand of a left foot had wreaked havoc all night, lined up the 70th-minute spot kick but skied over in front of the packed away end.

The hosts again came back strongly with Thompson shooting wide of the near post after Oliver’s cut back from the right byline.

Berrett then bent a brilliant 20-yard free kick into Williams’ top right-hand corner after Penn was pole-axed by Rory McArdle.

Some great backs-to-the-wall defending followed with an 89th-minute scrambled, far-post effort for Hanson somehow kept out.

But the Bradford sub was not to be denied a second time, firing a low ten-yard drive into Flinders’ bottom left-hand corner after the ball broke to him in the penalty box.

Hanson also had the best chance during the first half of extra-time, heading over from eight yards.

In the second period, Jake Hyde’s angled ten-yard drive then rattled the visitors’ crossbar and the same player flicked over from a Carson corner to the near post.

Thompson also had the ball in the net on 118 minutes but was ruled offside after diverting Tutonda’s low drive past Williams.

City were celebrating soon afterwards, though, with victory secured in front of a jubilant Longhurst Stand.

City

Scott Flinders: 8

Keith Lowe: 7

Dave Winfield: 8

Stephane Zubar: 8 

Marvin McCoy: 7

Russell Penn: 7

Luke Summerfield: 8

STAR MAN James Berrett: 9

David Tutonda: 7

Vadaine Oliver: 8

Reece Thompson: 8

Subs: Jake Hyde 8 (for Oliver, 91), Josh Carson 7 (for Summerfield, 98) .

Subs not used: Michael Ingham, Eddie Nolan, Ben Godfrey, John McCombe, Anthony Straker.

 

Bradford

Ben Williams, Tony McMahon, Nathan Clarke, Rory McArdle, Alan Sheehan, Paul Anderson (Josh Morris, 61), Christopher Routis, Gary Liddle, Mark Marshall, Steven Davies (James Hanson, 80), Luke James (Billy Clarke, 67).

Subs not used: Billy Knott, Greg Leigh, Dylan Motley-Henry, Joe Cracknell.

Referee: Mark Haywood. Rating: 6/10.

Booked: Summerfield 18, Penn 39, Liddle 63, McArdle 83.

Attendance: 4,201 (2,006 from Bradford).

 

Shots on target: City 3, Bradford 5

Shots off target: City 6, Bradford 8

Corners: City 2, Bradford 7

Fouls conceded: City 15, Bradford 11

Offsides: City 7, Bradford 2