On Tuesday night Bradford’s tough togetherness wrote them into football folklore and I at first hand saw the passion of the West Yorkshire fans that night and what it meant to them. I study at the University there, so live in the city, so on Tuesday evening we were sat in a packed pub with a lot of locals willing on the Bantams, as neutrals and as football fans we wanted the underdog to win.
Valley Parade stands in an awkward spot in the city, no real central basis around the club like some stadiums are; the “bigger” teams are usually the cornerstone of a city, community and town, but there’s always been that sense of neglect to the football club. Valley Parade of course was the stage of one of football’s worst disasters, seeing 56 fans die and hundreds more being injured, the club since its time in the top flight hasn’t had much to shout about and you get that sense in the community as well. The fans have seen their club taken into administration twice, several relegations and wilting fan base, but now the loyal fans have something to shout about, finally their pride has been restored and can finally proudly held their heads high.
If I can speak on behalf of footballing neutrals, we hope Bradford do complete their fairy tale, what they’ve done this season is nothing short of a miracle, but it’s reminded us that football is the best sport out there and that anything can happen in cup football.
Good luck Bradford
Michael King
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