Ugly ducklings come of age

Even a record, one-sided 5-0 defeat was not enough to keep the fans of Bradford City quiet as they were determined to celebrate their day out at Wembley, whatever the scoreline!

Swansea celebrated their centenary year with their first major trophy, ensuring, in the process, that the League Cup, now called the Capital One Cup, leaves England for the first time. The Dalai Lama-backed Bradford City can take solace from having beaten more Premier League teams than QPR this season.

It seems fitting to think of a final, billed as the People’s Cup Final, being watched by the 14th Tibetan leader, Tensin Gyatso, high up in a mountainside monastery.

The honorary president of the Friends of Bradford City supporters’ club sent a letter of support via the London-based Office of Tibet, adding a hope that the side’s ‘tremendous achievement can be turned into an opportunity to help others, demonstrating the power of sport to bring happiness to others on and off the pitch’.

Bradford have notched some notable milestones on this journey that started with a defeat of Notts County and then saw them improbably claim the scalps of Wigan and Arsenal on penalties and Aston Villa over two-legs in the semi-final.

It was 102 years since Bradford last appeared in a final (winning the FA Cup in 1911) but they became the first team from the fourth tier to reach this stage of the League Cup since Rochdale in 1962. To put this into perspective that was the year that Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her bed and Ringo Starr joined a pop group called the Beatles!

Bradford’s appearance in the final represents a remarkable turnaround for a club that was nearly relegated out of the leagues just 10 months ago. After six successive defeats they needed two wins at the end of the season to rise up to 18th and avoid the drop. 

They have struggled financially as well, twice slipping into administration in the last decade.  Relegation from the Premier League in 2001 hit the club hard as they were unable to sustain the higher salaries of Stan Collymore and Benito Carbone.

Yet, their opponents today offer a shining example of what is possible in football. It was only 10 years ago that Swansea was also occupying a position in the bottom English league. Indeed, it took a final day 4-2 victory over Hull City (contenders for a glorious return to the Premiership themselves this season) for them to escape relegation at the expense of Exeter City.

It was in 2002 that current chairman Huw Jenkins took control of the debt-ridden club. Yet, last season, their first in the Premier League, they recorded a record profit of £14.6 million (BD8.36 million) while playing a style of football likened to Barcelona. 

This system was introduced by then-manager, Roberto Martinez, although the unfashionable nature of Swansea saw him depart for Wigan and his successor, Brendan Rodgers lured to Liverpool. 

Last summer saw the arrival of Michael Laudrup with many believing that he would struggle to adapt. He has allayed fears, sanctioning the £15 million transfer of Joe Allen and replacing him with the astute signatures of Michu, Hernandez, Flores and Davies (amongst others). They club’s squad is the envy of many chairmen.

Jenkins has overseen three promotions, yet, more importantly, managed the transition from the old Vetch Field stadium to the new Liberty Stadium, providing a platform for future success. Leon Britton and Garry Monk have played in every division with Swansea throughout this meteoric rise.

By comparison to their Premiership opponents, Bradford’s squad cost only $10,000 to assemble, a fraction of the weekly salary earned by some of their opponents star players. Even though they took to the field to the sound of Doom and Gloom by the Stones, they took to the field with a purpose.

Bradford’s best chance appeared to be to take the game to penalties, having won on the last nine occasions – twinned with Germany? However, the wide-open spaces of the excellent Wembley turf were tailor-made for Swansea’s attractive passing football.  They must surely have arrived with some hope given it had been 450 minutes since Swansea last scored a goal away from home – although based on this performance they may now wish to move to Wembley – or play there every week!

It was an occasion that both sets of supporters were determined to remember past tragedies with a round of applause, the current preferred methodology. The 15th minute saw both sets of fans remembering a past player (393 appearances for Swansea and 89 for Bradford), Robbie James, who died 15 years ago aged 40 while playing for Llanelli.

Unfortunately the 56th minute tribute to those who died in the Valley Parade fire (Bradford) that took so many lives in 1985 was lost amidst the penalty furore being awarded to Swansea and subsequent sending off of the Bradford goalie, Matt Duke. 

The match itself was as one-sided as the gulf in divisions suggested it should have been. Swansea controlled territory and possession, scoring at regular intervals. Nathan Dyer was named the man-of-the-match, although it was his tantrum when he tried to claim the penalty-taking duties that provided the main after-match talking-point.

In a touching finale, match-day captain, Ashley Williams, jointly received the trophy with the long-serving club captain, Garry Monk, from Fabrice Muamba, appointed as a guest by the sponsors.

Bradford return to League Two action against Dagenham & Redbridge as they now chase promotion from 11th position in the table. With 15 games to go, the vaunted manager, Phil Parkinson, will ask his team to enjoy themselves and use the cup run as inspiration.

While the romantics were hoping that Bradford would claim the Europa League place that is awarded to the winners of this competition it was left to Swansea to lift the title without the need to ‘employ’ any time-wasting ball boys!