Goals from Alex Gilliead and Andy Cook gave Bradford a 2-0 home victory over Rochdale that ended a run of five League Two games without a win.

Gilliead struck in the first half before leading scorer Cook’s penalty after the interval took his tally to five for the season.

Bradford began brightly and came close to scoring in the early stages. Rochdale keeper Joel Coleman turned Charles Vernam’s shot round the post for a corner.

Cook had two shots blocked after the Dale defence failed to clear Levi Sutton’s cross.

Cook was also denied by Coleman’s diving save after Vernam’s effort rebounded into his path.

Rochdale hit back and Jeriel Dorsett saw his shot on the turn blocked by Gilliead before Abraham Odoh missed a great chance to put the visitors in front in the 35th minute. Danny Cashman pulled the ball back into his path only for Odoh to fire over the bar from 10 yards.

Bradford made them pay for that miss as they went straight to the other end and when Coleman failed to hold Sutton’s fierce shot, Gilliead followed up to give the Bantams a 37th-minute lead, hammering the loose ball into the net for his first goal since re-joining the club from Scunthorpe for a second spell during the summer.

Rochdale enjoyed more of the play at the start of the second half and ought to have equalised in the 68th minute when Corey O’Keefe picked out the unmarked Cashman in the box, but he fired over the bar.

City then made the game safe in the 75th minute when Sutton was brought down by Eoghan O’Connell and Cook put them 2-0 up from the spot. Coleman dived the right way and got a hand to the ball but could stop it going into net.