Only those who have known the lean years can fully appreciate Bradford City's promotion to the Premiership.

It is quite simply a dream come true for all City supporters, but especially everyone who showed unswerving loyalty to the club during the long, dark days in the lower divisions.

Promotion to the Premiership is the pinnacle of achievement for any club, but when you have been out of the top flight for 77 years it takes on an extra dimension.

I saw my first match at Valley Parade in 1948, stood on a buffet on an open terrace at the old Bradford end, and it has been my privilege to help with the coverage of the club's affairs for the last 25 years.

Like everyone of this era I have known more lows than highs with promotion seasons in 1969, 1977, 1982, 1985 and 1996 matched by re-election applications in 1949, 1963 and 1966 and relegation seasons of 1961, 1972 and 1978 plus lots of midtable placings in between.

I was present on that depressing Friday night in May 1981 when City's lowest crowd of the season, 1,249, turned out to watch them lose 1-0 at home to Hereford.

I was also there on those heartbreaking near promotion miss occasions like the 2-0 home defeat against Workington in 1964 and the 1-0 defeat at Peterborough in 1980.

But I have also shared the joy of promotion through the play-offs at Wembley three years ago with Chris Kamara's team and other promotion years like 1982 from the Fourth Division under Roy McFarland and 1977 under Bobby Kennedy.

Nothing can compare with this latest achievement and it is all the more impressive considering the fact that after City were relegated from the old Second Division, now the First, in 1937, they spent 48 years in the lower divisions - Third Division North, national Third and Fourth Divisions - before they made the breakthrough by winning the old Third Division championship in 1985.

Even that achievement, under the guidance of manager Trevor Cherry and his assistant Terry Yorath, was completely overshadowed by the Valley Parade fire disaster.

As many supporters have said, and captain Stuart McCall who played for City on that tragic day repeated after the Wolves victory, promotion to the Premiership was achieved for the 56 people who died in the fire.

It is also a fitting tribute to those who endured so many disappointments as they waited for the good days to arrive at Valley Parade and feared they never would, not to mention those who battled to ensure the club's survival in 1983.

For two months City's future hung by a thread after they went into liquidation with debts of £400,000 and, as a member of the Save Bradford City Committee, I know how close the club was to going out of business before Stafford Heginbotham and Jack Tordoff joined forces to save the club. They were later joined on the board by receiver Peter Flescher whose dedication played a vital part in the rescue operation.

Before this season's superb achievement, City's best chance of returning to the top flight came in 1987-8 when the then manager Terry Dolan built on the success started by Trevor Cherry to take City to the verge of promotion to the old First Division.

They went into the last week of the season in the second automatic promotion place, but lost their last two matches before being beaten in the play-offs by Middlesbrough.

That infamous failure has been hotly debated ever since - and especially in the last few weeks as City edged closer to the Premiership.

Supporters were severely critical of the board at that time for not trying to make sure of promotion by making crucial signings before the deadline.

The lessons of history were learned this time though, with manager Paul Jewell moving to strengthen his already impressive squad by signing Dean Windass from Oxford for £950,000 before taking Leeds United striker Lee Sharpe on loan.

None of City's success, though, could have been achieved without the drive, ambition and financial injection of chairman Geoffrey Richmond who has transformed the club on and off the field during his five years in charge.

Two years after he took over, City won promotion to the First Division by beating Notts County 2-0 in the play-off final on that never to be forgotten day at Wembley.

The new Midland Road was formally opened by the Queen in March 1997 and now, as the new Kop stand takes shape, City are celebrating by far their greatest achievement in modern times - promotion to the Premiership.

And to the doubters who insist that City cannot sustain Premiership football I can only point, as others have done, to cities of similar size like Coventry, Leicester and Derby who maintain respectable midtable places in the top division, holding their own against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.

If they can do it, why not Bradford?

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.