Capital One Cup Final – Five star Swansea crush Bradford
The looks on the dejected faces of the Bradford players told a million stories. To use the cliché, the promise of Wembley had been a match too far, the fact it took them eighty five minutes to have a shot on target, three shots the entire game, sum up the gulfing class of this final, it had nothing to do with leagues or divisions, because Bradford had beaten several Premier league opposition on their way. It was the fact Swansea were a class above and they were ready for Wembley.
I read an interesting fact that thirteen years ago, almost to the day, Swansea were playing an beating Chester 2-1 in the old Division three, while Bradford were in the Premier league. Thirteen years might seem like a long time, but in footballing terms a week can seem like a year, the tests both of these clubs have had to endure, near brink of administration, puts into terms the rise and failings of the clubs.
Bradford never were a powerhouse, but they were team of grit, always have been, they spent two seasons in the Premier league staying up via thirty six points, before finishing rock bottom the year after, they never were going to set the top division alight, not like Swansea anyway, but there has always been something reminiscent about Bradford City football club and their road to Wembley revived those memories.
Still raw in the memory of a community that is divided on a lot of things cultural wise, Bradford paid respect to the fans killed in the fire at Valley Parade on Sunday by wearing tracksuits embroiled with the number of fans killed – 56. A timely, respectful and worthy national platform to remind the masses of footballing fans about this tragedy that hasn’t left a lot of people’s lives.
Bradford’s big day out on Sunday couldn’t of been dampened said a lot of pundits, yes it could of and it was with a five-nil hammering. That might sound cynical and even the most hardened Swansea fans prior to the game had to have had a niggling doubt that they were next on this giant killing list of Bradford’s, but they had no reason to worry.
Pundits applauded Bradford for getting to the final, for just showing up and don’t get me wrong, I’m not taking anything away or trying to from Bradford, but even if you take away the goals, the sending off to their most outstanding player in their cup run. The performance just wasn’t good enough they got nowhere near to matching Swansea, so the pundits then tried justifying that by using the league standings, but Bradford had beaten Arsenal on the way to Wembley, Villa over two legs, Wigan, Watford and Notts County, all above them division wise.
The only way to explain the final on Sunday was that Swansea were too good, too good for an opposition of Bradford’s standing, yes, but Swansea wanted it more. Bradford had being punching above their weight all season, it finally just caught up with them, their day out at Wembley was justified. Yes, but the score is something that all of Bradford would like to forget, unfortunately it was one game too far for The Bantams.
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