Published 19th February, 2025
The EFL Trophy competition (aka Vertu Trophy in its latest manifestation) has its critics and like others I am not comfortable with the inclusion of junior Premier League sides. Nevertheless, the experience of their participation since 2016 has probably been worthwhile if only because their failure to make an impact provides a strong counterweight to any suggestion that the experiment should be extended elsewhere in English football.
As far as Bradford City is concerned, the club has benefited enormously from taking the competition seriously in the last couple of seasons. Admittedly the attendances at games in the group stages have been modest but latterly there has been a much greater enthusiasm, reflected for example by respectable away followings to the likes of Aston Villa and Rotherham. The financial benefits of reaching the semi-finals in 2023/24 and 2024/25 are unlikely to have been massive (albeit better than nothing) but I believe the real gain has come from the opportunity to rekindle some self-belief from cup success. Whilst my preference would be that it was derived from either the FA Cup or the Football League Cup, the EFL Trophy has at least provided another chance for drama and excitement, if not some form of glory and the prospect of playing at Wembley.
Despite the defeat in Birmingham at St Andrews, the performance of the Bantams could not be faulted. It was exactly the sort of gutsy, against-the-odds display that tends to be remembered as well as being consistent with the club’s ‘Bantams’ identity. In fact it was a classic City cup performance and a reminder that Bradford City AFC, like its predecessor Manningham FC (a rugby club that competed in both the Rugby Union and Northern Union) has built a reputation based on performance in cup competitions.
Manningham FC for example came to prominence in the Yorkshire County Cup during the 1880s under the auspices of the Yorkshire Rugby Union. This included memorable ties with Bradford FC at Park Avenue and reaching the final of that competition in 1885 which helped to establish the club as a leading side in Yorkshire. In turn this provided the impetus and confidence to originally develop the Valley Parade site in 1886 when forced to relocate.
So too, Bradford City AFC is best known for having won the FA Cup in 1911 and it has been in cup competition as opposed to the league that Bradford City has continued to have most success, the ‘History Makers’ campaign in 2013 for instance following in the tradition of ‘Glorious 1911’.
There has been the continuity of celebrated giant-killings throughout the club’s history from defeat of first division Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1906 to that of then Premier League champions, Chelsea in 2015. The club’s self-identity as underdogs – plucky bantams – has come into its own in cup competition against ‘bigger’ clubs. Even in the bleakest years, the fact that Bradford City had won the FA Cup could not be taken away and provided the club with respectability.
Whilst we haven’t had any high profile giant-killing this season, and the EFL Trophy remains a lower profile competition than either the FA Cup or the Football League Cup, in no small way it has allowed the club to rediscover its historic mojo. A cold night in Birmingham has strengthened the self-confidence and self-belief among players and supporters alike and will hopefully provide the necessary springboard for the club to finally escape the basement division. Neither is the timing insignificant coming in the 40th anniversary of the Valley Parade disaster as well as the year in which Bradford is the City of Culture. Both are relevant to the identity of the city and there is no reason why BCAFC should not benefit from – and reinforce – the feelgood factor that will hopefully accrue from the City of Culture programme of events in 2025 alongside a successful promotion campaign.
The visit to Birmingham was a reminder not just of heroic cup exploits of old, but of the massive gulf in financial resources. But who knows, maybe the media exposure of cup campaigns including the drama at St Andrews last night will entice a billionaire to discover a love for BCAFC and come forth with funds to bankroll the club. Of course we can but hope but it was precisely the cup headlines in 2013 and 2015 that attracted outside interest in Bradford City to start with and made people consider investment.
For now let’s hope that the performance at Birmingham will generate further momentum for the remaining games of the season to ensure that we win promotion. As unglamorous as may be the case, the Vertu Trophy could well prove to have helped shape the season which is reason enough not to be dismissive about the competition.
Follow the links above for features about the history of Bradford City.
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