Bradford demonstrated their knack of accumulating valuable points by bouncing back from the 4-0 defeat at Manchester United to shade Everton in an entertaining if goal-less draw yesterday.

Things took a good while to get going in sub-zero temperatures, probably because the hosts looked understandably short of confidence and much preferred caution ahead of derring-do.

But once both sides had thawed out the game opened up and Bradford were unlucky not to claim the win when Lee Mills' second-half header bounced back off the foot of the post.

Everton were missing their nine-goal leading scorer Kevin Campbell, whose wife had gone into labour the day before. Both wife and son are reported well.

The American Joe-Max Moore, the former New England striker signed on a free transfer recently, deputised without suggesting he was worthy of a permanent place.

It took 25 minutes to enthuse a sold-out 18,000 crowd, as Neil Redfearn and Dean Windass fired free kicks narrowly wide. Everton hit back and Matt Clarke in the Bradford goal twice denied Francis Jeffers.

City had conquered their nerves by the second half and began to attack with more abandon though without a great deal of luck. Saunders, released by Lee Sharpe, forced a good save from Paul Gerrard. And when the Welsh striker popped up on the right, Mills headed his cross fiercely downwards on to a post.

Everton almost won it at the death when David Weir blazed over from eight yards, but that would have been an injustice.

"I'm a little bit disappointed not to have got more than a point," said the Everton manager Walter Smith. "But if you don't make the most of your chances you'll always be under that extra bit of pressure."

Bradford: Clarke, Halle, Wetherall, O'Brien, Myers (Beagrie 63), Windass (Blake 74), McCall, Redfearn, Sharpe, Mills, Saunders. Subs not used: Davison, Westwood, Lawrence. Booked: Wetherall, Redfearn, McCall.

Everton: Gerrard, Dunne, Weir, Gough, Unsworth, Barmby, Hutchison, Collins (Cleland 52), Pembridge, Jeffers, Maxmoore (Cadamarteri 76), Cleland (Gemmill 74). Subs not used: Simonsen, Watson. Booked: Hutchison, Cadamarteri.

Referee: U Rennie (Sheffield).