Phil Parkinson admitted it was tough to take after Wrexham suffered their third consecutive league defeat.
Andy Cook scored Bradford’s late winner just minutes after his penalty had been saved by Arthur Okonkwo.
But manager Parkinson felt his team had done more than enough to take the points as their promotion hopes took another hit.
He said: “It hurts. We dominated the game, particularly in the first half when we were excellent.
“We set out to do everything we wanted to against a 3-4-3 system, moved the ball well, got in some good positions and just couldn’t find the moment.
“The way we played probably justified us coming in one or two ahead. That was probably as good a first-half performance as we’ve put in for a while.
“We know we’re in a period where it’s not going our way but the lads have given us absolutely everything today.
“We just couldn’t find the moment to unlock the door. But it was certainly not through lack of effort.
“We were very much on the front foot all over the pitch but football is about putting the ball in the back of the net. It’s very rare for us at home.
“When you’ve had a few defeats and things are going against you, that can happen.
“We deserved to win the game but one big moment proved decisive.”
Cook claimed his 14th goal of the season, heading home from close range after Okonkwo had blocked his initial effort.
It was a first win in nine league games for the Bantams – and second at the Racecourse Ground for manager Graham Alexander, who had beaten Wrexham with MK Dons on the opening day of the season.
Alexander said: “I can’t speak highly enough about my players.
“Wrexham are always going to have moments in games because they’ve got an array of talent and their belief is massive from their two-and-a-half year run.
“I feel defensively we’ve been really strong, really disciplined and structured. It’s just taking the moments in front of goal that has let us down.
“That’s the whole team, not just the forwards, it’s midfielders getting in there, defenders from set-pieces and things like that.
“We all have to take responsibility for those opportunities. If we had done that, I think we would have won many more games which we deserve.
“We are where we are. We’ve won a big fixture today for us and hopefully it will give the players and supporters the belief that there’s still something there worth fighting for.
“There was a freshness about us because we knew we had to work exceptionally hard. They are a very good team with an unbelievable home record.”
Super sub Joselu 'the perfect reflection of Madrid', hails Ancelotti after Bayern brace
Carlo Ancelotti saluted Joselu after the striker climbed off the bench and scored twice against Bayern Munich to send Real Madrid through to their 18th Champions League final.
Following Alphonso Davies' earlier strike at Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid trailed Bayern 1-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate when Joselu replaced Federico Valverde with nine minutes of their pulsating semi-final tie remaining.
The 33-year-old, who is on loan from second-tier Espanyol, turned the tie on its head with two dramatic late goals.
First, he pounced on a rare mistake by Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer to stab in an 88th-minute equaliser, before volleying home Antonio Rudiger's cross in the first minute of stoppage time.
This was Joselu's eighth substitute appearance in this season's Champions League and Ancelotti praised the professionalism of his striker, who has now netted 17 times across all competitions, despite spending much of the campaign on the bench.
"He's a player who's contributed a lot this season, even if he hasn't played many minutes," the Italian said.
"But he's the perfect reflection of what this squad is: players who contribute a lot without losing confidence [if they're not playing] and the idea that they can offer the team something."
Ancelotti, whose side will play Borussia Dortmund in his sixth Champions League final as a manager on June 1, also hailed the character demonstrated by his players during another "magical" Madrid performance.
"It's happened so many times now, it's something inexplicable," he added. "It's happened again [thanks to] fans that push [us], a fantastic atmosphere and players who never stop believing that they can do it. It's something magical, there's no explanation for it."
Al Ahli 1-2 Al Hilal: Malcom saves league leaders' winning streak
Malcom’s stunning solo goal finished Al Hilal’s second-half comeback to earn a 2-1 win over Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Monday.
The forward started his run from inside his own half before slotting in the winner, after teeing up Aleksandr Mitrovic for the equaliser just after the interval.
Feras Al Brikan had given Al Ahli the lead in the 30th minute, but the hosts could not hold onto it against the league leaders.
Al Hilal continue their unbeaten league campaign to a 30th match, moving 12 points clear at the top of the table, while Al Ahli remain in third, now 22 points off the AFC Champions League spot.
Data Debrief
Malcom was one of Al Hilal's most influential players; as well as playing a hand in both goals, he had the joint-most shots (five), and the joint-most shots on target (two), and created two chances for his team.
Al Ahli also struggled to cope with Mitrovic's threat, as the Serbian created an xG of 0.61 from his five shots, having 11 touches in the opposition box.
Ronaldo delivers another hat-trick as Al Nassr ease past Al Wedha
Cristiano Ronaldo crafted a decisive hat-trick as Al Nassr hammered Al Wedha 6-0 in Saturday's Saudi Pro League meeting.
Portugal veteran Ronaldo found the net twice in the first 12 minutes at Al Awal Park before completing his treble after the interval.
Sadio Mane teed up Ronaldo's third finish, as well as an 18th-minute strike from Otavio, who returned the favour for the Senegal international to score on the stroke of half-time.
Mohammed Al Fatil added a late sixth as Al Nassr recorded their seventh straight league win since their March 7 loss against Al Raed, moving them back within nine points of leaders Al Hilal.
Jorge Jesus's Al Hilal swept Al Tauwoon aside in a 3-0 away triumph on Friday for their fourth straight victory across all competitions.
Talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium before Saud Abdulhamid and Saleh Alsherhi wrapped up a win that kept Al Hilal in charge of the title race.
There was no such fortune for fifth-placed Al Ittihad as they fell to a third straight defeat in all competitions after a 3-1 loss away against Abha.
Jota levelled after Grzegorz Krychowiak's 57th-minute penalty, only for Hassan Al-Ali and Fabian Noguera to power hosts Abha to a comfortable win.
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