A Day of Emotion and Remembrance for Bradford City
Bradford City secured promotion to League One in the most thrilling of circumstances, defeating Fleetwood Town 1-0 thanks to an incredible 95th minute goal from Antoni Sarcevic. The goal sparked jubilant celebrations at the University of Bradford Stadium, ending a six year spell in League Two. The dramatic victory was witnessed by a remarkable attendance of 24,033 supporters, setting a new fourth tier record and underscoring the passionate backing Bradford City have received throughout their remarkable promotion push.
It was a highly emotional afternoon even before kick-off, with both sets of supporters uniting in a moving rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” commemorating the tragic Valley Parade fire disaster, which claimed the lives of 56 fans 40 years ago. The passionate and spine-tingling tribute set a poignant atmosphere for what would be an unforgettable day.
Nail-Biting Tension and Late Heroics
City knew their fate was in their own hands, entering the fixture one-point clear of fourth-placed Walsall. Despite early pressure and several penalty shouts from Bradford, Fleetwood grew into the match and posed a significant threat themselves. Bradford’s Brad Halliday tested Jay Lynch from distance after 24 minutes, and almost immediately Fleetwood responded, with Matty Virtue forcing a superb double save from Sam Walker.
In the second half, tension increased as news filtered through that Walsall had taken the lead against Crewe, pushing Bradford temporarily into the play-off spots. City ramped up their attacking urgency, bringing Michael Mellon, Tyreik Wright, and George Lapslie into the fray to ignite their promotion push.
The drama heightened in the final moments as defender Jack Shepherd, thrown forward in desperation, saw his volley crash off the post in the 88th minute. Moments later, Sarcevic inexplicably fired over from close range, leaving fans fearing their automatic promotion dreams might be slipping away.
Promotion Sealed in Storybook Fashion
However, deep into stoppage time, Bradford’s persistence paid off spectacularly. A hopeful long-range strike by substitute George Lapslie took a crucial deflection off Antoni Sarcevic, diverting past the helpless Fleetwood goalkeeper, sending over thousands of ecstatic Bantams fans streaming onto the pitch. The game briefly paused as stewards cleared the celebrating supporters, and after a 15-minute delay, the final whistle blew to scenes of unbridled joy.
The victory capped a remarkable turnaround for Bradford under the guidance of Graham Alexander, recently crowned League Two Manager of the Year. After languishing in 12th place at Christmas, a club-record run of 10 straight home victories propelled them into automatic promotion contention.
Bradford City’s formidable home form, which had historically been their Achilles’ heel, proved pivotal as they clinched automatic promotion for the first time since 1999. Alexander’s leadership since taking charge in November 2023 transformed a struggling side into genuine contenders, overcoming significant setbacks including the season-ending injury to top scorer Andy Cook who won the League Two Golden Boot this afternoon.
The dramatic circumstances of the victory will ensure this day is etched permanently into Bradford City folklore.
This wasn’t just Bradford City’s day, it was Bradford’s day. Their first promotion since 2013, remarkable. Six years in League Two, six years too many. Sarcevic was the hero today. They deserved every single moment of this, it certainly was a phenomenal occasion.
