Bradford City - Valley Parade

4^th May 2003

Bradford City 0-5 Portsmouth

With Son and I attending the last match at Darlington’s Feethams on the Saturday, I looked around for a match for us to go to on the Sunday.  There were only the final set of Nationwide League Division 1 fixtures that day, with the most geographically convenient being promoted Portsmouth partying at Bradford.  A phone call to the Valley Parade ticket office brought the news that the away areas were long sold out, and the home areas were reserved for Bradford supporters only.  No allowances had been made for neutrals.

I explained the situation re Darlington, and then played my trump card.  “If we cannot get tickets for Bradford, our next alternative is Grimsby v Brighton.  Please don’t send us to Grimsby”, I pleaded. 

After a pause came the response, “I wouldn’t send me worst enemy to Grimsby, Lad.  Your tickets will be waiting here for you”.  A tiny victory for common sense over jobsworthyism!  This in stark contrast to the intransigent harridan I later encountered at Crewe.     

  http://ian38018.blogspot.com/2011/05/crewe-alexandra-alexandra-stadium.html

Bradford City won my prize for the silliest club mascot – the suit and bowler-hatted City Gent, but that was pretty much all they won this particular afternoon as Portsmouth quite simply ran over the top of them.  Gianluca FESTA’s 25^th minute opener had the visitors 1-0 up at the break, but in a 10 minute spell early in the second-half Bulgarian striker Svetolslav TODOROV snaffled a hat-trick against a set of home defenders who looked as if most of them were already thinking about their summer hols.  Steve STONE, a former England International, scored a fifth on 67 minutes, after which the Pompey players effectively followed their hosts onto the beach.

The Bradford End (2003)

Same view in 2024

Panorama of the partying Pompey pack (2003)

 

Same view in 2024.



Valley Parade, Bradford (2003)



Valley Parade, Bradford (2020)

 

Valley Parade, Bradford (2024)

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Bradford City 2-1 Port Vale

26th December 2024

Generally, when I attend matches as a neutral, I find myself choosing one of the combatants to support (as if "my support" influences things).  But here, I just sat back and went with the flow; willing either side to score whenever they went forward - which was often.  

For this was a match where both sides clearly were out to attempt to win it - in stark contrast to the bore-fest I had witnessed at Goodison a few days earlier, between two sides whose priority clearly was not to lose.

Here I saw three fine, fine goals, a breath-taking goalkeeping stop and, finally, a red card tossed into mix in stoppage time.  

And entertained myself during half-time by reading a copy of what must be one of the best fanzines I have ever come across:  The City Gent.  The publication costs just £2, which almost made up for the shameful £1.50 booking fee Bradford City added to my ticket purchase.