BY CHRIS MCNULTY
CARL McHugh kept his place in the Bradford City team for Saturday’s Yorkshire derby against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane – and played his part as the Bantams came from two down to draw two-all.
McHugh has found games hard to come by this season, but the Lettermacaward man has recently got back into the Bradford defence.
On Saturday, goals from Jamie Murphy and Harry Maguire had United two up at half-time.
However, Bradford rallied and Gary Jones’ deflected effort brought them back into it and Phil Parkinson’s team equalised when James Hanson steered home from close range.
Just after Murphy’s opener, McHugh was involved in a controversial incident. Hanson headed onto the crossbar from a corner and McHugh was quickest to react, his goal-bound effort blocked by Jose Baxter on the line – City’s players insisting he had blocked with his hand.
“I thought it was a handball,” Steve Parkin, the Bradford assistant manager, said.
“He definitely seems to move his arm up towards the ball.”
The draw means that Bradford are 13th in the table, sitting on 33 points, nine away from sixth-placed Peterborough who occupy the final play-off spot.
Parkin said: “They kept plugging away, showing a lot of heart in the process, and we deserved to get back in the game when we did.
“We were having to hang on in a little bit towards the end but I think that was because we’d put so much effort in to get back in the game. The lads were throwing themselves in front of shots and crosses and putting their head in where it hurt.”
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