BRADFORD are proud of their bumper crowds - but some of them are missing the best of the action.

With five minutes to go, with the score delicately poised at 1-1 on Saturday, a number of the home fans amazingly got up and left the packed, if rain-swept, Coral Windows Stadium.

And, by departing early, those fans pushing to avoid the traffic missed a failed penalty attempt, their side hitting the post, a disallowed goal and a wonder save by their keeper – the most intense action of the game.

It was a breathtaking finish at a place where Stanley were defending an unbeaten record and the game could have gone either way with City boss Stuart McCall bemoaning the two points which got away.

Stanley manager John Coleman was reasonably happy with a point on their travels to one of the promotion hopefuls and in front of the 11,000 partisan crowd who certainly make their feelings on decisions known.

Coleman, whose side conceded three late goals to Bradford last season, admitted: "I think we got what we deserved. I thought it was an even first half and we were unfortunate to go in at half-time a goal behind.

"But we rolled our sleeves up, made most of the running after the break, except the last five or 10 minutes, and got a goal back. We defended well and then either side could have won in the final five minutes."

McCall wants Bradford to be a draw - but not in this way as it was their seventh all-square in 11 games.

"I am so frustrated and disappointed," said the Bradford boss. "To the neutral it was probably entertaining but we could have won it at the end - mind you, so could they.

"So we could have got three points or be stood here with none - now we have got to build on one."

The last minutes were edge of the seats stuff for the majority of the crowd who remained.

First of all Bobby Grant leapt up and handled Luke O'Brien’s corner at the near post on 87 minutes and striker Gareth Evans stepped up for what looked like the winning goal.

But the former Macc man fired his spot kick inches away from diving Ian Dunbavin's left hand post - and into the face of a spectator who was knocked backwards with the kick. He might have wished he had been one of the fans who left early.

If that was let off for Stanley, there followed a lucky escape for the Bantams when Grant raced straight down the other end, one-on-one with keeper Simon Eastwood.

The striker went for glory and hammered the ball goalwards but the stopper got there to pull off a stunning save.

The injury board went up just as City sub Michael Boulding was trying to steal the show but this time it was the post that denied Bradford.

And then the former professional tennis player thought he had finally cracked it when his shot in injury time did beat Dunbavin - but the referee ruled it out for a Lee Bullock hand ball in the build-up.

It was a relief when referee Steve Cook blew the final whistle for what was a crazy end to a game which really only warmed up in the second half in freezing conditions.

Bradford had taken the lead when a quick break by Simon Ramsden led to Michael Flynn playing in a cross and, with Dunbavin stranded, the ball evaded James Hanson and Darran Kempson with Phil Edwards running in just behind to divert into his own goal.

The home side had other chances with Dunbavin denying Hanson with his legs and keeping out a Boulding effort when he was one-on-one while Evans and sub Simon Whaley fired wide ahead of the frantic finale.

Stanley didn’t really test stopper Eastwood until after the break when he denied John Miles and Jimmy Ryan but he could do nothing after Grant jumped with defender Zesh Rehman on the edge of the area with an 11,000 crowd appealing for a foul.

Referee Cook didn’t see it that way and play went on with the the ball finding ex-Bradford striker Michael Symes who took the ball down and curled it past Eastwood.

It was end to end from that time with Stanley having to defend well as Bradford played a lot of balls into the box, Edwards had to pull off a last ditch tackle on Hanson as he lined up to shoot and the slippy, muddy surface made it all unpredictable.

And then the people dashed off for their early tea and missed the entertaining ending and all the talking points, despite it not affecting the scoreline.

"It was possibly a foul in the build up to our goal but you see them given and you see them not given," said Coleman. "And Bobby did handle it for the penalty but felt he was pushed in the back.

"We did have a bit of luck with the penalty although I do think Bavs had it covered.

"We definintely deserved something from the game - if only Bobby had scored that last effort we could have had three points."

If he had, the early home leavers might have felt justified.