Bradford chairman Geoffrey Richmond launched a scathing attack on the club's critics before watching his relegation-hit side take a step nearer a return to the First Division.

Richmond has received a number of poison-pen letters over the past few weeks with the club battling for their Premiership lives … and is likely to get a few more following this latest setback.

Those chances are now running out as Bradford crashed to their fifth successive defeat, and it's at times like these you need lady luck in your corner.

But instead she chose to smile on Southampton who are now 11 points clear of the relegation zone and seemingly safe for another season.

After a goalless first half in which Bradford had enjoyed the better of the chances, the visiting Saints then took the lead in the 56th minute … to the despair of Bradford midfielder Dean Windass.

Chris Marsden's 25-yard shot looked as if it would have been covered by the diving Matt Clarke, but the City keeper was left beaten and wrong-footed as the drive spun off Windass before lodging itself into the bottom corner of the net.

The despairing Windass could only stand with his hands on his head while Marsden celebrated his first goal of the season.

Although the introduction of livewire striker Isaiah Rankin … following his recall from Birmingham where he had been on loan … soon followed for the ineffective Jorge Cadete and lifted City, it was a Southampton substitution which proved City's undoing.

Little Latvian Marian Pahars replaced Matt Le Tissier, who had started his first game since the end of last year, and proceeded to weave his magic with his first touch of the ball.

Pahars went on a solo 76th minute run which took him past two Bradford defenders before beating Clarke with a searing low, left-foot finish into the bottom right-hand corner for his club leading 10th goal of the season.

Bradford responded instantly as Robbie Blake showed equal tenacity, for after being initially denied by Neil Moss, he then seized upon the rebound and fired home into the roof of the net with two Saints players standing on the line.

Lee Sharpe then spectacularly volleyed over from 12 yards as Bradford pushed for an equaliser, which even led to centre-back David Wetherall being pushed up front in the dying minutes with one last roll of the dice … a gamble which did not pay off.

It was Wetherall who had City's best two chances prior to the second half goals as he struck the base of the post in the first 45 minutes with one far post header, while a second was superbly plucked out of the air by a flying Moss.

The Saints keeper was back in the side for the first time in 11 months due to Paul Jones undergoing back surgery this week which will keep him out until August.

Moss proved an able deputy as he also saved a volley from Windass and a half-volley from Gunnar Halle as Bradford looked for the opening which was denied them until the cruellest of blows.

It's not quite the knockout just yet, but City are reeling, while Southampton are already looking ahead to going the distance again next season.

Teams:

Bradford: Clarke, Halle, Wetherall, O'Brien, Jacobs, Sharpe, McCall, Windass, Beagrie, Blake, Cadete (Rankin 63). Subs Not Used: Westwood, Todd, Dreyer, Davison.

Booked: Halle.

Goals: Blake 77.

Southampton: Moss, Dodd, Richards, Tahar, Benali, Ripley (Soltvedt 78), Tessem, Marsden, Bridge, Le Tissier (Pahars 75), Davies.

Subs Not Used: Bevan, Beattie, Lundekvam.

Booked: Tahar, Ripley.

Goals: Marsden 56, Pahars 76.

Att: 17,439

Ref: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).