Bradford reacted to their television snub with another outstanding FA Cup performance as Sunderland on Sunday became the fifth Premier League scalp of Phil Parkinson’s tenure as manager at the League One club, beaten 2-0.
The lowest-ranked of the remaining nine left standing in the competition added Gus Poyet’s team to Chelsea, their victims in the fourth round, and Arsenal, Aston Villa and Wigan, from their League Cup exploits of two years ago. The goals came from John O’Shea, with an own-goal, and Jon Stead, who belied his barren 18-month spell with the north-east club from June 2005 by maintaining his record of scoring in each of the five rounds Bradford have played this season.
Their players rejoiced at the final whistle to a terrace refrain of “Are you watching BBC?” It followed the surprise decision to overlook this tie for live coverage after the Stamford Bridge exploits of three weeks ago.
“We were disappointed it wasn’t on the TV. If we just talk about the finances of it: a quarter of a million pounds for a club like ours would have meant a lot. But we had to move on from that and everyone in the media has done our talking for us,” said Parkinson.
With all the quarter-finals screened either on the BBC or BT Sport, Bradford will get their wish belatedly in three weeks’ time when they will be 90 minutes away from a third Wembley appearance in two years. While the club hierarchy crave a trip to Old Trafford, Parkinson’s preference is a tie at Valley Parade.
“I would like a home draw because the atmosphere here is special and I would like to sample that again. At this stage any draw is a good draw and it’s great to get the name of Bradford City on the tips of everyone’s tongues,” Parkinson added. “If we get our approach right, then we’ve got a chance against anybody. All I can say to our supporters is that whoever we draw we will give it everything we’ve got and, if we are not successful, we will walk off the pitch with our heads held high.”
Despite the notoriously rutted pitch promising a real thud-and-blunder affair, Bradford played in an aesthetically pleasing style, and at high intensity, buoyed by scoring after 150 seconds.
“There was an expectancy after beating Chelsea that we would win today and we had to guard against that. It was important that the lads went into the game with the underdog mentality,” Parkinson said. “Right from the first whistle we played with great desire, great spirit, were first to every ball all over the pitch and made it an uncomfortable afternoon for Sunderland which you have got to do in cup ties when there is a big gulf between the two sides.”
There was no quibbling from the Sunderland manager, Poyet, after his side were forced to concentrate on preserving their top-flight status. “I have no regrets. There were fights, elbows, cuts, bruises and a bad decision from the referee,” he said, taking a pot-shot at the failure of the referee, Kevin Friend, to award the visitors an 18th-minute penalty when Rory McArdle felled Steven Fletcher. “It was so easy. He was in the right position, he saw it but he didn’t give it. I can’t do anything about that.”
Sunderland’s supporters, at odds with Poyet following the midweek home defeat by QPR, were to their immense credit, at one with their manager in regards to Bradford’s display, applauding their former players Stead and Billy Knott when they were substituted, then remaining to acknowledge the efforts of the rest after the final whistle.
“It was a proper Cup tie. I don’t think we need to complain, just congratulate Bradford on what they’ve done,” said Poyet.First, Jose Mourinho congratulating them on the size of their ‘balls’; now Gus’ ‘Je ne regrette rien’. Those Premier League managers remaining will hope they do not have to have their own say.
