ANDREW Davies is rooting for Sunderland to book a trip to Valley Parade and make it an old boys’ reunion with the Mackems in the FA Cup fifth round.
City were delighted to be handed a home tie in last night’s draw – but will have to wait until next Tuesday to discover their opposition.
Sunderland and Fulham face a replay at Craven Cottage after the weekend’s goalless draw. Davies is hoping the Premier League side will prevail so he can square off against a couple of familiar faces.
The City defender said: “I’d like Sunderland because I’ve got friends who play for them. Adam Johnson was obviously at Middlesbrough with me and Danny Graham, so it would be good to get them.
“It’s nice to be at home and get as many fans as possible in the stadium. I don’t think many teams will want to come here, especially if it’s full.
“If we do play Sunderland, they are going to bring a lot of fans and if we can get 15,000 or more it’s going to be a great atmosphere.
“We’ve proved a couple of years ago that we can beat anyone at Valley Parade in the cup and that Chelsea game has opened everyone eyes to how good we can be this season.”
Davies believes City can use their magnificent triumph at Stamford Bridge as a springboard for a concerted push to get out of League One.
He added: “The last time we got to Wembley and had a good cup run, that bred a lot of confidence and we ended up getting promoted. Hopefully it’s going to do the same this time.
“The Championship’s where we all want to be and it’s still a realistic target. That’s our aim now.
“It’s good when you have pressure on you. Teams now understand how good we can be but we’re only a good team when we work hard for each other like we did on Saturday.
“Chelsea was unbelievable. It was the best day of my career and you wanted it to last forever.
“But we have to move on now. If we can beat Chelsea, there’s no reason why we can’t beat anyone and we need to take that into our league form.”
After being drawn away in three of the first four FA Cup rounds, Phil Parkinson feels City have earned a Valley Parade date. The tie will take place over the weekend of February 13-16.
Parkinson said: “I think it’s a good draw for us all round. I’m happy to be at home and either Sunderland or Fulham will be a terrific cup tie.
“We’ve had two trips down to London and enjoyed them but I’m pleased to have a home game now. There were some lot less attractive draws in there.”
Last night’s cup draw was broadcast live to the 1911 Club at Valley Parade where several of City’s Stamford Bridge heroes were joined by a large group of fans.
Skipper Stephen Darby reckons the home tie is a reward for the supporters – many of whom missed out on Chelsea tickets.
He said: “We could have taken thousands down to Chelsea and we know it will be a big crowd at Valley Parade.
“The passion round the club is magnificent and the reason why we all want to play for Bradford City. I’m just pleased the supporters will be able to come out in their numbers.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel