With their beleaguered manager watching from the stands, their supporters streaming out of the stadium in disgust and El Tel apparently waiting in the wings, Bryan Robson's Middlesbrough at least stopped the rot on Saturday.
The outpouring of emotion that greeted Paul Ince's late equaliser engulfed Teesside. The midfielder buried himself in a bundle of fans, stewards and team-mates. The Boro chairman, Steve Gibson cast a relieved glance at his friend and manager, sitting two seats to his left, punched the air.
But his celebrations were deceptive. Even if a draw against the worst side in the Premiership does spark a revival, Robson may have to put up with a supporting role to Terry Venables.
On Saturday, Robson already appeared to be on the periphery. For the first time in his six-year reign, the manager spurned his seat in the dug-out, watching po-faced and furrow-browed from the directors' box, mindful perhaps of the raucous reception he had received the previous week.
More significantly, it was Ince who threw the half-time tea-cups with Boro trailing 2-0. "I was angry and said a few choice words at the break," said the midfielder. "I'm not used to fighting against relegation with the teams I've played for, and it hurts me. But I got a response from the lads."
The captain's reaction was understandable. Bradford, preying as much on the home side's nerve-racked start as their own new-found buoyancy under Jim Jefferies, kept their football simple and waited for Boro, wide-eyed and frantic, to make mistakes. After 110 seconds Gianluca Festa miskicked, panicked and passed the ball obligingly to Dan Petrescu. The Romanian's cross found Dean Windass, who leapt above Curtis Fleming and headed past a static Mark Schwarzer.
That was City's first league goal in 342 minutes, but seven minutes later they trebled their away tally for the season. Benito Carbone skilfully controlled Peter Atherton's punt forward and, as Ugo Ehiogu and Festa dithered on the edge of the area, fired high past Schwarzer's right hand.
Deafening boos rang round the Riverside and fans in the North Stand unfurled a banner reading: "Robson: you are the weakest link. Goodbye."
But with Ince's words stinging their pride, Boro revived and within three minutes of the restart Ehiogu headed in the first, before Ince's last-minute equaliser.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Fleming, Festa, Ehiogu, Ince, Stamp, Mustoe, Marinelli, Cooper, Whelan (Job 72), Boksic (Deane 45). Subs Not Used: Vickers, Karembeu, Crossley. Sent Off: Marinelli (68). Booked: Festa. Goals: Ehiogu 48, Ince 89.
Bradford: Clarke, Nolan, Petrescu (Myers 54), Atherton, O'Brien, Lawrence, McCall, McKinlay, Windass, Ward (Collymore 65), Carbone (Beagrie 80). Subs Not Used: Walsh, Blake. Booked: Ward, McKinlay, Lawrence. Goals: Windass 3, Carbone 10.
Referee: P Taylor (Cheshunt).
