In 2012, Bradford City FC was a downturn football club. The former Premier League team, like the city itself, was in decline, losing three leagues in 12 seasons.
The enormous gap between the wealthiest clubs and the lower-class teams, which was recently embodied by the attempted formation of the Super League, was already palpable then. But with a team costing just £ 10,000, Bradford would deal a blow to the lower division minnows and shake up the football establishment. This is “A Football Tale”.
Former Bradford City striker James Hanson and Sky Sports journalist Tim Thornton shared their story on episode 7 of StoryCast ’21, a Sky News podcast series featuring 21 extraordinary personal stories from some of the biggest news events in the world Century told.
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James Hanson had always dreamed of scoring the winning goal at Wembley.
The striker had been a promising youth player at Huddersfield Town and Bradford City, but in 2009, when the 21-year-old was stacking the shelves at his local co-op supermarket, his Wembley dream seemed light years away.
As a child, Hanson lived minutes from the Bradford City FC training ground – a club with a deep connection to its fans and the local community.
The city was united in grief in 1985 when 56 supporters were killed in a fire in the club’s stadium.
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Former Bradford City forward James Hanson, center, has his incredible story in the latest episode of StoryCast ’21. divided
More than a decade later, Bradford City FC made it to the Premier League – only to slip the divisions into the championship and then into League One.
In 2009, the team had slipped to the second division when they paid £ 7,500 to sign Hanson from the non-league Guiseley.
Bradford City FC was a downtrodden football club and the coaching staff wanted Hanson to change their luck.
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After the fire, a memorial service was held on the ground
There was a lot of optimism and fighting spirit, but no one predicted they would be three years away from the kind of “Roy of the Rovers” experience so rarely seen in football.
In 2012, Phil was Parkinson’s manager and Bradford was on the upswing.
The team fought for promotion to League One and also had a decent run in the League Cup – a knockout tournament that is open to every club in the top 4 leagues.
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James Hanson, right, plays against Premier League club Wigan Athletic in 2012
The club had won their first three games of the tournament, but when they faced Premier League club Wigan in the fourth round, everyone, maybe even the players themselves, assumed the dream was over.
In A Football Fairytale, Hanson takes up the story: “It was an incredible feeling to only play against players from the Premier League.
“We won on penalties and the feeling afterwards was just amazing.”
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Hanson tries to control the ball near the Arsenal goal during the 2012 League Cup game
Sky Sports News reporter Tim Thornton, who was covering Bradford games at the time, continues: “Suddenly the fans were invested in this cup trip.”
The Premier League giant Arsenal have been pulled out of their hat for the next round and the draw has been scheduled for December 11, 2012.
Tim continues: “Arsenal were one of the biggest clubs in English football at the time, one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
“In Arsene Wenger you had a charismatic manager and many superstars.”
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Arsenal star Gervinho, center, was one of the London club’s many highly rated players
All hopes that Wenger would rest his top players like in previous tournaments were quickly dashed before kick-off at Valley Parade Stadium in Bradford.
Hanson said: “When the team bow came, it was just one international match at a time.”
The manager told the players to enjoy themselves and that their reward for reaching this level of competition was playing in front of a stadium full of Bradford fans.
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Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen scored a penalty in the 2012 tie
But for Hanson, this was more than just another football game – if he was ever going to achieve his dream of scoring at Wembley, he would have had to get past Arsenal first.
Hear the incredible story of James Hanson in A Football Fairytale, the latest episode of StoryCast ’21.
You can listen to the episode Here.
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