RONNIE Jepson hailed his battling young guns as they finally got their Pontins League campaign up and running.

Rhys Carpenter's smart headed finish cancelled out Liam Flynn's opener for Bradford to end a run of six successive defeats for the Clarets second string.

And the night was capped by a return to action of defender Mark McGregor, who featured for the first time since May after battling back from knee surgery.

Jepson beamed: "I thought the kids were a credit. The result is a little morale-booster and it's nice when they have come off the pitch absolutely shattered.

"They are a credit to themselves and so long as they can learn from the odd thing, they will be okay."

Burnley were indebted to McGregor - along with keeper Michael Hale - for keeping the game scoreless at the break.

Hale made a smart double save early on to deny Kevin Sanasy and Luke Cornwall's instant follow-up.

Former Burnley trialist Nicky Summerbee then blazed over when Hale should have been further tested.

But just before half time came a remarkable sequence that saw Hale save at the feet of Tom Penford and McGregor somehow head Cornwall's resulting piledriver off the line at full stretch.

Bradford continued to press after the restart, but Hale again came to the rescue to deny Penford in a one-on-one situation.

However, on 65 minutes Hale was finally beaten as City got the breakthrough their chances had deserved when Flynn fired in off the post through a ruck of bodies.

Burnley refused to buckle though and Carpenter, who had spurned one presentable first half chance, made amends with a firm stooping header from Tom Ince's left wing delivery.

The result leaves Burnley rooted to the foot of the Pontins League premier Division, but as Jepson is at pains to point out, it's experience - not points - that matter this season.