Clarke-Harris gets his rewards

Lee Johnson praised Jonson Clarke-Harris after his two goals helped Oldham to a 3-2 win at Bradford and another step towards safety.

The 19-year-old had not scored for more than three months, but he not only scored Oldham's second and third goals, but laid on their first for James Wesolowski. How the youngster, who joined Oldham from Peterborough at the end of last season after loan spells at Southend and Bury must like playing against Bradford - he scored against them in 1-1 draw at Boundary Park at the end of November. Johnson said: "He was exceptional - a real threat. "He is still learning and he has got to keep his feet on the ground, but the potential is there. "He supplied two clinical finishes and his work-rate over the last five or six games deserves everything we can say of him." Johnson was delighted with the result, which leaves his side four points above the relegation safety mark. But he said: "It was not perfect but I thought our defensive work-rate and commitment to the cause was superb. "We scored on the break and were unlucky not to score more. Our work ethic with the midfield three gives us a platform to move forward." The visitors dominated the early stages, denying Bradford possession for long spells and were rewarded by taking the lead after 22 minutes, Wesolowski running in to score from 10 yards after Clarke-Harris had headed the ball across the face of the goal. Bradford equalised after 35 minutes when a 30-yard pass from Matthew Dolan found on-loan winger Adam Reach in the penalty area and he scored with a low shot into the far corner. Oldham regained the lead on the stroke of half-time when Gary Harkins drifted in from the left before sliding the ball into the path of the unmarked Clarke-Harris to score from the edge of the six-yard area. The visitors increased their lead after 58 minutes when Clarke-Harris ran on to a long through pass from left-back Jonathan Grounds and held off the challenge of defender Andrew Davies before shooting low into the far corner for his second goal of the match. Skipper Gary Jones pulled a goal back for Bradford in stoppage time with a low shot from the edge of the box when the ball rebounded to him after substitute Mark Yeates had hit the post, but it was too little, too late.