Bradford in dreamland, sorry Villa in tatters
Source: Agencies |
January 24, 2013, Thursday
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BRADFORD City's manager was in dreamland and the League Two club's chairman said he would have to start learning languages after the team stunned Aston Villa 4-3 on aggregate in the League Cup semifinal on Tuesday.
Despite a 1-2 loss at Villa Park, Bradford held on to become the first fourth-tier club to reach a major English cup final since Rochdale lost to Norwich City in the League Cup in 1962.
At the final whistle Bradford's mixture of youngsters and grizzled old professionals celebrated wildly on the pitch while the joy of its 6,000 travelling fans was unrestrained.
It was a harrowing night for Premier League struggler Villa, however, as it sloped off to contemplate the rest of the season fighting to avoid relegation.
Question marks will inevitably be raised about the future of manager Paul Lambert, who agreed his side's defeat to Bradford was "embarrassing".
But it was Bradford's night and a triumph for a club which has spent most of its history languishing in the wilderness and which has twice been close to going out of business after a brief and costly flirtation with the Premier League.
"It is dreamland," said manager Phil Parkinson. "The lads were absolutely fantastic and what it means for the club and the city is absolutely tremendous.
"It's a moment to savor, it was an extraordinary feeling when the whistle went."
Victory against either Swansea City or Chelsea at Wembley on February 24 would earn Bradford, which had earlier eliminated top-tier Arsenal and Wigan Athletic in the competition, a place in Europe for the first time since it appeared in the now defunct Intertoto Cup in 2000.
"If we get into Europe I'll have to start learning some languages!" Bradford Chairman Mark Lawn said.
Villa, trailing 1-3 from the first leg, went ahead through Christian Benteke but James Hanson's 55th-minute header calmed Bradford's nerves and it held on despite Andreas Weimann's late effort for the five-time League Cup winner.
Villa had looked set to spoil the party but paid the price for poor defending as the gloom deepened for the Midlands club.
"That is the worst day of the season. We had two chances to do it and haven't done it," Lambert said.
Despite a 1-2 loss at Villa Park, Bradford held on to become the first fourth-tier club to reach a major English cup final since Rochdale lost to Norwich City in the League Cup in 1962.
At the final whistle Bradford's mixture of youngsters and grizzled old professionals celebrated wildly on the pitch while the joy of its 6,000 travelling fans was unrestrained.
It was a harrowing night for Premier League struggler Villa, however, as it sloped off to contemplate the rest of the season fighting to avoid relegation.
Question marks will inevitably be raised about the future of manager Paul Lambert, who agreed his side's defeat to Bradford was "embarrassing".
But it was Bradford's night and a triumph for a club which has spent most of its history languishing in the wilderness and which has twice been close to going out of business after a brief and costly flirtation with the Premier League.
"It is dreamland," said manager Phil Parkinson. "The lads were absolutely fantastic and what it means for the club and the city is absolutely tremendous.
"It's a moment to savor, it was an extraordinary feeling when the whistle went."
Victory against either Swansea City or Chelsea at Wembley on February 24 would earn Bradford, which had earlier eliminated top-tier Arsenal and Wigan Athletic in the competition, a place in Europe for the first time since it appeared in the now defunct Intertoto Cup in 2000.
"If we get into Europe I'll have to start learning some languages!" Bradford Chairman Mark Lawn said.
Villa, trailing 1-3 from the first leg, went ahead through Christian Benteke but James Hanson's 55th-minute header calmed Bradford's nerves and it held on despite Andreas Weimann's late effort for the five-time League Cup winner.
Villa had looked set to spoil the party but paid the price for poor defending as the gloom deepened for the Midlands club.
"That is the worst day of the season. We had two chances to do it and haven't done it," Lambert said.
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