Bradford snatched their first away win in seven months to keep their dreams of Premiership survival alive.

John Dreyer's 60th-minute header - his first goal since November 1996 - gave the relegation-haunted side three precious away points for the first time since September 25 and ended a run of just one point from 12 league games.

Bradford now play relegation rivals Wimbledon at Valley Parade on Sunday in a match that has assumed huge significance. If they win, the Bantams move above the Dons.

In a poor game at the Stadium of Light, the visitors severely dented their more illustrious hosts' hopes of European qualification.

What little quality there was came from Peter Reid's side, but if industry and a sheer bloody-minded refusal to accept the seemingly inevitable is enough to stay in the top flight, Bradford will be back on Wearside next season despite a traumatic campaign.

The game was billed as the one in which England striker Kevin Phillips would become just the third man after Alan Shearer and Andy Cole to score 30 Premiership goals in a season, but apart from a first-half strike ruled out for offside, he had few chances.

City were forced to endure a late onslaught, but in the end, they were well worth their victory, just the seventh time Reid's side have lost in three years at their new stadium.

Bradford boss Paul Jewell packed his midfield with Dean Windass, who scored a hat-trick against Derby, dropping back to help the orthodox quartet leaving Dean Saunders to run the line by himself.

The Bantams set out their stall from the off by pressing the ball and allowing Sunderland little space, and although Chris Makin, ostensibly employed as a full-back, was able to join his midfielders at will, that simply served to crowd the middle of the park even further.

Bradford's determination left Phillips and partner Niall Quinn feeding off scraps, and both men had to venture out to the flanks and even back into their own half in the search for daylight.

David Wetherall picked up a booking within two minutes after hauling Phillips to the ground as he chased down Alex Rae's long ball, but the City defence otherwise coped reasonably well with Sunderland struggling to break down the massed ranks of claret and amber.

Indeed, the visitors had the better of the early chances as Eric Roy had to get in a last-ditch tackle to deny Saunders a shot on goal and Thomas Sorensen pulled off a fine save after Wetherall got his head to Peter Beagrie's ninth-minute corner.

But Peter Reid's side gradually started to assume control, and although they forged few clear opportunities, Matt Clarke was the busier of the two keepers.

Bradford skipper Stuart McCall kept his side level with 17 minutes gone when he got in a foot as Phillips prepared to pull the trigger from Quinn's knock-down and Wetherall threw himself in the way of a Quinn drive 10 minutes from the break.

Phillips had the ball in the net from an offside position three minutes later and Clarke tipped away a dipping Kevin Kilbane shot as the home side turned the screw, but Beagrie wasted a good opportunity on 42 minutes after being set free by Saunders and delaying too long with Windass unmarked at the far post.

The Wearsiders were no more incisive in the second half, and apart from a Phillips volley which dropped a foot over Clarke's bar, the visitors enjoyed the better chances.

It took the woodwork to keep Reid's side level on 57 minutes when Windass found Saunders down the right and he got the better of Paul Butler before squaring for Robbie Blake, who was unfortunate to see his shot come back off the crossbar.

But if the travelling supporters were bemoaning their luck, it only lasted momentarily as their side got their noses in front on the hour.

Beagrie beat Jody Craddock all ends up on the left and when Roy headed out his initial cross, he returned the ball with interest for Dreyer to rise at the far post and power a downward header past Sorensen.

It could have been two within two minutes when Wetherall just failed to get his head to Windass' quickly-taken free-kick and Craddock and Sorensen were less than convincing as they tried to pick up the pieces.

Dreyer turned up inside his own penalty area on 69 minutes to block Rae's goal-bound shot after Roy had played the Scotsman in as the game entered a critical phase.

Phillips had a golden opportunity to level 13 minutes from time, but glanced his header from substitute John Oster's free-kick wide of Clarke's left post, and Roy headed straight at Clarke as time ran out to leave the visitors dreaming of a late reprieve.

Teams:

Sunderland: Sorensen, Williams (Oster 32), P. Butler, Craddock (Dichio 83), Makin, Gray, Roy, Rae, Kilbane, Quinn, Phillips.

Subs Not Used: Marriott, Holloway, Nunez.

Bradford: Clarke, Halle, Wetherall, Jacobs, Dreyer, McCall, O'Brien, Windass, Beagrie (Sharpe 90), Saunders (Rankin 83), Blake (Westwood 86).

Subs Not Used: Wright, Davison.

Booked: Wetherall.

Goals: Dreyer 60.

Att: 40,628

Ref: S Lodge (Barnsley).