Half-Time Report: Bradford City blitz 10-man Millwall to place one foot in fourth round

Bradford City have placed one foot in the fourth round of the FA Cup after securing a 3-0 half-time lead over 10-man Millwall in tonight's third-round replay at Valley Parade.

The clash was just six minutes old when the visitors suffered a double blow in their bid to reach the next round.

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First, defender Mark Beevers was red-carded for hauling down Hanson as he bore down on goal, before the Bradford striker compounded the Lions' woes by powering home Rory McArdle's flick-on a minute later.

Things went from bad to worse for Ian Holloway's side on 18 minutes, as Jon Stead pounced on a loose ball inside the box before coolly slotting into the corner to give Millwall a mountain to climb.

The Bantams suffered a slight setback on the half-hour mark as manager Phil Parkinson and assistant Steve Parkin were sent to the stands for their reaction to a foul.

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Despite being a man down, Millwall slowly but surely earned a foothold in the clash, and Lee Gregory almost reduced the arrears but his glancing header just missed the post.

They failed to build on that half-chance, though, and Andy Halliday effectively put the game to bed by tapping home Filipe Morais's teasing cross with six minutes remaining in the first half.