10-05-2025
NATH'S NATTERS: A Bantams moment in time that will live forever
I BELIEVE the line Martin Tyler famously used to describe Sergio Aguero's title-winning goal for the blue half of Manchester in 2012 was: 'I swear you'll never see anything like this ever again'.
Well, if you watched and drunk in a remarkable Saturday, May 3, 2025 in Bradford, you would have witnessed something mighty similar.
The creaking 30-year-old I am now, who has genuinely spent the last three days with a bad back after sleeping awkwardly, I headed home at about 7pm.
So, I missed Alex Pattison in his bucket hat, the thousand stories behind Tommy Leigh's sunglasses, Sam Walker pulling pints and the collapsing table that brought down Michael Mellon.
Nahhh hahaha #bcafc #bantams
— Harry (@harry_mjames) May 3, 2025
But rightly, those scenes were enjoyed by diehard Bantams, whose suffering and misery for decades was all forgotten for a while after the most dramatic finish possible to the League Two season.
On a personal level, nothing will ever top the manic two weeks I drank in with Newcastle United in March, with me watching us win the Carabao Cup at Wembley before heading up to the North-East for the bus parade and the Town Moor celebrations.
But on a non-Toon level, Saturday is clear of anything I have ever witnessed in football.
As I mentioned in a recent column, it feels like only this last season or so where City have really and truly got me hooked.
From covering more games, to having a brilliant bloke as manager, to having a great set of lads in the squad, I was fully on board the Bantams promotion train.
I felt devastated after covering THAT 5-4 defeat to Swindon, feeling I'd somehow personally let City down, and wondering if they'd ever come back.
But Graham Alexander's side were just teeing up what happened last Saturday all along, weren't they?
I arrived in Bradford at quarter to one, and headed to City Vaults, where the bar was absolutely jam-packed.
Eventually getting a pint, I joined a couple of my T&A colleagues, Harry and Rowan, as we nervously discussed the permutations of the afternoon ahead, before the former headed up to North Parade with a couple of his City-supporting pals.
Me with Harry and Rowan at about one o'clock last Saturday, blissfully unaware of the madness that was about to unfold. (Image: NQ Staff)
Rowan and I soon headed to North Parade, where we quickly established we had no chance of getting into a bar.
The scenes were manic as a makeshift DJ pumped out classics like Take Me Home Midland Road, Penny Arcade and Sweet Caroline.
The pair of us popped into a packed convenience store, but the shelves had been near-emptied by partying Bantams fans, so I swerved clear of the non-alcoholic lager and Skol that was left to get a couple of Bacardi and Coke cans.
Flares were going off, everyone was mingling and then came the raucous march to Valley Parade.
STRONG atmosphere on North Parade 🤯😍 #bcafc
— Nathan Atkinson (@NathanA_TandA) May 3, 2025
Store owners on Manningham Lane came out to greet the crowds, drivers were high-fiving us, one little girl popped her head out of a sunroof to become an unexpected little star of the day.
After meeting an old work colleague for a lovely catch-up, then getting confused over where the entrance to the TL Dallas Stand actually was, I eventually took my seat, via a chicken balti pie pit stop.
You'll Never Walk Alone was special, the minute's silence in remembrance of the Valley Parade Fire Disaster was impeccable, and then it was game-time.
I don't think City were too bad before the break, as Fleetwood made a couple of brave blocks, there was the odd penalty shout, the keeper made a ridiculous flailing arm save from Calum Kavanagh, then the outrageous challenge which injured a breaking Pattison and perhaps should have brought a red card.
But Walker's superb save from Matty Virtue, followed up by a brave clearance from Tayo Adaramola off the rebound, showed the rug could be pulled from under the Bantams at any moment.
And the second half was an anxiety-inducing nightmare, as the hosts looked increasingly panicky, were creating little of note, and then Walsall scored at Crewe to dump City out of the automatic promotion spots.
With 10 minutes left, some muppet then started a rumour that Crewe had equalised, which took ages to establish as a falsity and when Jack Shepherd hit the post and Antoni Sarcevic blasted over from close range, resignation set in.
Then came THE moment that will be remembered forever, in the sixth minute of added time.
George Lapslie's volley hit Sarcevic (or Fleetwood skipper James Bolton) and crawled into the net in slow-motion, sending the stadium into chaos.
A mass pitch invasion, strangers hugging, general pandemonium, I've never witnessed a live goal like it in my life.
After chaos trying to get the game restarted, it finally ended after about 20 additional minutes.
Good Lord that was special, cheers for doing it in the most stressful way possible #bcafc 😂
— Nathan Atkinson (@NathanA_TandA) May 3, 2025
The players were then hoisted high on shoulders, so was Alexander, as young, old, white, South Asian, everyone embraced the euphoria, on the pitch and in the stands.
After witnessing some dad dancing on the roof by the changing rooms from the City lads and the little plate lift by Richie Smallwood, it was back to North Parade.
Flares were going off, there was one good old-fashioned punch up, music was playing, drinks were flowing, and I got to witness it all from the top window of the Brass Monk with Rowan and his mum.
I took this picture of a packed North Parade at about quarter past six on Saturday, just an hour or so after City had sealed the most dramatic of promotions. (Image: NQ Staff)
It ended up being a very reluctant trudge to the train as I didn't want to leave this behind.
But as I headed back to Horsforth in my old claret and amber bobble hat, which I got from a cancer charity long before the Bantams came into my life, I sat back on the train and reflected on an extraordinary afternoon that I will never forget.
