Bradford City - Their Finest Hour

Every few years English cup competitions have special runs from their lower-ranked clubs. Chesterfield getting to the FA Cup semi-final in 1997 is one. Barnsley winning at Anfield and then beating Avram Grant’s Chelsea in the 2007 FA Cup is another.

But, Bradford City reaching the 2013 League Cup is the greatest of all-time. A League Two club making Wembley for a major cup competition is almost unthinkable.

City, a team that cost just £7,500 and a friendly to assemble, had to pull off a shock result in all but one round and beat three Premier League team along the way to reach Wembley. In this day and age when money dominates the top division, City’s achievement of beating Wigan, Arsenal and finally Aston Villa is simply remarkable.

Phil Parkinson’s men gave themselves a fantastic chance by beating Villa 3-1 in the first leg. However, a 2-0 Villa win in the return game would see the Premier League side win on away games. City rode their luck in the first half and if it wasn’t for goalkeeper Matt Duke, Bradford could have been blown away.

City were always going to get one golden chance to score and when it came they had to take it. It did and they did. Captain marvel Gary Jones’ corner and up leapt towering striker James Hanson who powered his header past Shay Given to score the decisive goal.

While Hanson will never have to buy a drink in Bradford again, his story is quite remarkable. Seven years ago he was playing for Eccleshill United in the Northern Counties East League before a move to then-Northern Premier League outfit Guiseley under former City boss Terry Dolan. He was also working at a branch of the supermarket Co-Op. Bradford eventually came calling and spent £7,500 on the frontman – money now well-spent.

Villa had to score three more times to win and never looked like scoring. City were assured at the back and midfielder Jones was inspirational in the middle of the park. Andreas Weimann pulled one back with minutes remaining, but the night belonged to Bradford and they held on.

For any football fan whether you support Bradford or not, it was a night to remember and cherish. It was a moment that may never happen again in our lifetime.