Geoffrey Richmond has heralded Bradford City's fourth round FA Cup clash against Newcastle United as a "dream draw".

The Bantams set up the repeat of the 1911 FA Cup final with an exciting 2-1 victory against Grimsby Town thanks to goals from Lee Mills and Jamie Lawrence.

And after seeing his club handed a visit to St James' Park on the weekend of Saturday, January 23, Richmond quipped: "I suppose the draw we really wanted was Rushden & Diamonds at home!"

He then added: "No seriously, it is a dream draw for Bradford City and all its fans. If you had asked me before the draw for a short-list of big games then I think Newcastle would have been one of those three or four clubs.

"Financially it is a very good draw for the club because it will be a 36,500 sell out. And for the players and fans it will be a great day out. Newcastle must start as favourites but, on our current form, we go there with more than the prospect of making up the numbers to look forward to.

"The game has an extra spice because it is the 1911 FA Cup final re-visited. It is a great reward for a great result against Grimsby where I thought our team really dug in after Andy O'Brien's harsh dismissal."

Richmond says City will know more details about a possible ticket allocation later today although he stresses that every Newcastle home game is sold out with season ticket holders at the moment.

He said: "We hope to let everyone know as soon as possible but I will be asking for as many tickets as possible.

"Under rules for the FA Cup, the home side must give the away team an allocation of 15 per cent of their ground's capacity.

"I therefore envisage us receiving an allocation of around 5,500 tickets for this game but, again, I will know later in the week once we have spoken to Newcastle.

"Demand will no doubt be high among our supporters and with us having 8,500 season ticket holders, I believe it is highly unlikely that anyone without a season ticket will be able to get a ticket for the Newcastle game."

Newcastle, who were beaten in last year's final by double winners Arsenal, earned a place in the fourth round with a stuttering 2-1 home victory over Crystal Palace.

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