A RECORD-BREAKING Bradford City match has been captured in a new painting snapped up by a club official.

Paul Town, a sports stadium painter from Baildon, was commissioned by City chief executive Ryan Sparks to do an oil painting from the Bantams’ opening home game of this season.

Mr Town has handed over his painting which features moments before kick-off of City’s clash with Doncaster Rovers in League 2 at Valley Parade on July 30, 2022.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: From left, Bradford City chief executive Ryan Sparks and Paul Town with the painting of Valley Parade from a matchday earlier this seasonFrom left, Bradford City chief executive Ryan Sparks and Paul Town with the painting of Valley Parade from a matchday earlier this season (Image: Paul Town)

The match may have ended goalless with a sending off apiece for both sides, but City's crowd of 19,368 was the largest at Valley Parade for a game in the fourth tier.

Now the match has been recalled in a claret and amber-clad image, which shows the two teams coming onto the pitch and the Bantams players saluting the crowd.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: City's crowd of 19,368 was the largest at Valley Parade for a game in the fourth tierCity's crowd of 19,368 was the largest at Valley Parade for a game in the fourth tier (Image: Thomas Gadd)

Mr Town runs Paul Town Art where fans can take their pick of their favourite team's home ground in an oil painting or print.

Mr Town, who has been a season ticket holder at Valley Parade since 1980, says the painting took three months to fully complete.

He said: “The frame for the picture is 1.4 metres long, so it’s a big picture.

“It took about three months to do but some pictures can take four to five months until you’re happy with them.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Paul Town's oil painting of Valley Parade from the opening match of this seasonPaul Town's oil painting of Valley Parade from the opening match of this season (Image: Paul Town)

“It’s all about memories. It’s an emotional thing that pulls people into it. I have been a City season ticket holder since 1980 and I’ve had the same seat since 1986.

“I earn a living doing it. It’s a full-time occupation. It’s a business that keeps on evolving. People are picking up on what I do.”

Mr Town has painted a host of Britain's grounds from Exeter City to Aberdeen and virtually every team in between.

 

He started the business 13 years ago after being given some painting equipment as a Christmas present from his mother.

Last year, Mr Town was commissioned to do an oil painting honouring a boy who was killed by his stepmother and father.

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was six when his stepmother Emma Tustin murdered him after months of torture, while his dad Thomas Hughes was jailed for his son’s manslaughter.

The youngster was a big Birmingham City fan and one of the club's Bradford-based supporters commissioned Mr Town for the painting.

Go to paultownart.com to buy a print copy of the Valley Parade stadium painting or for Mr Town’s other work.

 

Have you got a story for us? Email newsdesk@telegraphandargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01274 705292.