BRADFORD City manager Michael Duff insists he will not be getting ‘too focused’ on the League One table after the Bantams moved up to the summit following a 2-0 victory over Stevenage at Valley Parade.
City took their time to overcome dogged opponents before prevailing, with attacking substitutes Nick Powell, Stephen Humphrys and Will Swan all playing a huge part in securing Duff's maiden victory in charge as manager.
Antoni Sarcevic fired City ahead from the spot on 79 minutes after Powell was caught by Stevenage keeper Tommy Setford after good work by Humphrys and Swan in the build-up.
Swan fired the killer second with his first league goal of the campaign after Setford spilled Humphrys’ cut-back as City went top after previous leaders Plymouth Argyle lost at home to Huddersfield Town.
Duff said: "I think there's a point separating the top five or six. Just don't get too focused on the table. Get focused on the things you control - like your work-rate, togetherness, spirit, balls going in the box and quality.
"How can we improve those things? That's all it is.”
City had to deep dig and displayed the value of patience by overcoming obdurate opponents thanks to goals in the final quarter, while also recording their second successive clean sheet under Duff.
They scored with their only two efforts on target, but there was much more intent than the previous weeks’ stalemate at home to Leyton Orient. Duff, whose side visit Burton on Tuesday, continued: "It's hard to win a game of football, I say it all the time.
"The funny thing is, in my job, it's gone already because you're always thinking about Burton. The five minutes afterwards are nice and the defeats stay with you a long time…
"I thought we were good. I thought we deserved the win against a good team who punch above their weight and got in the playoffs last year and have started this season well again. I think that's only their second defeat on the road.
"But I thought we started the game well. We got lots of balls in the box. At 0-0 at half-time, I thought things didn't quite drop.
"And it's ‘can we just improve again? We'll get a little bit of luck’. And we got more numbers in the box today. We got the ball in the box.
"I think it was 52 crosses.
"Last week, if you look at nearly every cross we had, we had two men in the box. I think if you look at nearly every cross we had today, we had four men in the box.
"So it was just tweaking a couple of people's positions to offer numbers again, really. I thought the subs had an impact in the game. It was a dogged, resilient performance defensively, as it has been all season.
"And I thought we looked more of a goal threat today, definitely, from last week.”
On his telling substitutions either side of the hour-mark, he said: “We were thinking of making all four at one point.
"But we didn't want that to come across as desperate to the players that were on the pitch, because I didn't think we were desperate. I thought we were in control of the game and well on top.
"So that's why we ended up breaking it up into a two and a two. But ultimately, that's what you want. You want substitutes to impact the game.
"The cleverness that they've got, Philo (Adam Phillips) and Bobby (Pointon) absolutely ran their legs off. We asked a lot of them. They probably did 90 minutes' work in 60 minutes.
"But then the beauty is you can take them two off and put another two on. And they all know their roles. And they know what's expected of them.”