Draw disappoints Parkinson

Bradford boss Phil Parkinson felt it was two points dropped rather than one gained after Notts County battled back for a 1-1 draw.

The Bantams went ahead on the stroke of half-time as Francois Zoko left Hayden Mullins for dead and his pull back from the byline was steered in by Jon Stead. But despite looking like getting a second goal after the break, the Magpies earned a point when Mike Edwards headed home Gary Jones' corner with 15 minutes remaining. With an FA Cup quarter-final replay against Reading coming up on Monday night Parkinson was delighted with his troops as he rung the changes, but he could not help but wonder what if. "I thought we were outstanding and we've let them off the hook," he said. "We had four or five gilt-edged chances to kill the game off and when you don't take them, you always put yourself under pressure. "The only real chance they had in the second half was a set play and the lad scored. But the way we played across the game I couldn't have asked for anymore. "We deserved three points, but in football you sometimes don't get what you deserve. "There have been no minds straying towards Monday and everybody could see that was the case in our performance. "We made several changes and I thought the lads who came in were our best players. "With the game on Monday, obviously it was a very difficult team selection with such a high profile game on the horizon and then asking them to go again. "We rested some players, but the lads who came in didn't weaken the team." The point saw Notts climb one place to 18th in the table and manager Sean Derry hopes it spurs his Magpies on ahead of a midweek clash against Rochdale. "It was a big point for us," Derry said. "The half-time team talk went out the window given the goal we conceded - which really disappointed me. "But the reaction in the second half from the players was big. We dug in where it mattered. We defended like Trojans and then we scored from a set-piece ourselves. "It's been a long time coming this season. I've been critical of the set-pieces this year because they've not been up to standard, especially with the work we put into them. "But it is what it is. We managed to nick one and it gives us a big lift for the game against Rochdale on Tuesday. "At times we played some good stuff and we perhaps lacked that killer pass or shot on goal at certain times. "But we dug in. We stuck in there and we've not had a lot go our way at Meadow Lane this season so to come back from a goal down against a good Bradford team, is very pleasing."