Daniel Wales and Charles Hague-Jones reflected on Bradford City’s dramatic promotion.
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00:00Bradford City will be a League One club next season.
00:05Obviously, joining Port Vale and Doncaster.
00:08But on the final day, it was absolute drama in League Two.
00:12Probably the story of the EFL final day.
00:15I mean, an unbelievable twist of events as Walsall were on their tail
00:20and they had to win as well and they did.
00:23And then obviously you look and you see Bradford City had a chance to win.
00:29And they had to go and beat Fleetwood Town at home.
00:34They left it late, but they did it in dramatic fashion.
00:37Now, obviously an incredible event.
00:40Dan, just give us a little bit of a rundown on what's sort of gone on this season
00:44for Bradford, why it was left so late.
00:46And just talk about the incredible fashion that they have managed to gain promotion
00:51and join League One next season.
00:54And then also just looking ahead to the future.
00:57I mean, what does it mean for them as a club?
00:59How do they need to go about their business to ensure a successful League One campaign?
01:03Obviously, an incredibly tough division as well.
01:06The step-up is rather large now as well to make sure they are stabilised in League One
01:14and can hopefully push for the Championship in seasons to come.
01:17But Dan, give us a lowdown on Bradford City,
01:20that incredible final day result and what it means for them in the future.
01:24Well, Charles, you could just look and tell by the celebrations that unfolded
01:30following the full-time whistle at Valley Parades on Saturday afternoon.
01:34It was scenes of pure chaos, joy, bedlam, whatever you want to call it.
01:38But it just highlighted exactly how much it meant to the supporters of Bradford City.
01:43The fact that after a good few seasons away from England's third tier,
01:47they were back thanks to a 96th-minute winner from Anthony Sarcevic.
01:51Wow, they left it so late in that game.
01:55It was unbelievable.
01:57The game hadn't really gone how they wanted it to.
01:59It had become nervy.
02:00It had become scrappy.
02:02They just couldn't really get a foothold and play the football that they had been wanting to play
02:05and they have been playing for a large part of the last few months,
02:09which has gotten so many good results.
02:11It was certainly becoming very nervous towards the end
02:14and it didn't look like it would come.
02:16They even squandered a couple of golden opportunities in Stockwich time itself,
02:19but that winner, it came in the 96th minute.
02:23And obviously then we had an impromptu pitch invasion,
02:25perhaps scenes you don't want to see at that stage
02:27because, of course, the full-time whistle hadn't been blown yet
02:30and everything had to be cleared off.
02:32The players had to go off the pitch and wait until everything was safe to resume again.
02:37But after that, then it just became pure joy.
02:40It erupted and, well, it just showed exactly what Bradford City as a club
02:45are all about.
02:47Of course, now they'll go into League One, back into England's third tier.
02:52Things will not be as straightforward for them
02:55because, of course, it is a step up.
02:57Naturally, things will be harder, more difficult.
02:59But under Graham Alexander, they've got a manager there
03:01who certainly has inspired lots of confidence in this team
03:05because, you know, for large parts at the start of the season,
03:08they were sort of, you know, middling around mid-table,
03:11not really going anywhere.
03:12But then all of a sudden, he managed to click them into gear
03:15and they just shot up the table.
03:17They were top at one stage.
03:18Yes, they dropped back a little bit towards the end,
03:20but ultimately they did secure a promotion ahead of Walsall
03:24who dropped into the playoffs.
03:26Of course, Walsall, heartbreak for them
03:28after what had been a brilliant start to the season for them.
03:30So many points clear and then just went on that losing run
03:33where they just kept on losing and losing and losing and losing
03:35until that stage where, ultimately, it was Doncaster, Port Vale and Bradford
03:39who snuck into the automatic promotion places ahead of them.
03:44So, so much pride, so much joy for Bradford City in that game
03:51at the end of it as well after what had been, as I mentioned,
03:54a game where it hadn't all gone their way
03:56and it looked as if things weren't going to go their way
04:00and it was going to be the playoffs after being sat in the automatic promotion places
04:03for a good number of weeks and, as I say, being top for a little bit as well.
04:06So, it would have been harsh on them. It ultimately was harsh on Walsall.
04:11But now, the summer is here for Bradford.
04:13They have to build. They have to get ready for the League One Challenge
04:17because, of course, they don't want to be scrapping around relegation
04:20after what has been such a monumentous season this time round.
04:23They don't want to then go straight into a relegation scrap
04:25and make things difficult for themselves.
04:27No, they need to instead get things right off the pitch.
04:30Then they can, therefore, get things right on it.
04:33That's what the summer is all about for Bradford.
04:35Whether they do that or not, that's a different story.
04:38But for now, though, they will just certainly be enjoying the moment
04:41following their promotion back to League One.