Looking Back To The League Cup Final

It's almost a year since we ventured to London (Nodnol as we affectionately call it) with the family to see our beloved Bradford City play in the Capital One League Cup Final at... WEMBLEY! After many years of hard times for the Bantams 2012/13 proved to be the best season of our lives. 

At the start of the season we took G to his first open day at Valley Parade, he was four months old so didn't really have a clue what was going on, but S and I very proudly dressed him in his Bantam clothes and introduced him to the team, the manager and of course Lenny the City Gent. For S and myself who are life long Bantams this was the proudest day of our lives.

Griffin with the Gaffer Phil Parkinson!

G with Meredith!

Nana nana nana nana na na na Nahki Nahki Wells Nahki Wells Nahki Nahki Wells!

"He used to work at the Co-op, work at the Co-op, he used to work at the Co-op!" The one and only James Hanson

"He's magic, you know, You'll never get past Gary Jones!"

Lenny, the one and only City Gent. A legend always.

Little did we know that G's cuddles with the team would bring them such good luck for the season ahead. The first round of the cup we played Notts County and to be honest we didn't expect anything from this game so we we're thrilled when James Hanson scored the winning goal in extra time. In the second round we played Watford, a championship side and never dreamt that we would beat them 2-1 to make it through to round three with goals from Kyle Reid and Garry Thompson. The excitement started to kick in at this point, but still we never dared to dream of the possibilities ahead... We played Burton Albion in the third round, I know many expected us to win as they we're a League Two side like us, but knowing Bradford City as well as I do I expected this to be a difficult tie. We struggled in the game against Burton, but we managed to pull it back from two goals down with both goals coming from Nahki Wells taking the game to extra time where Stephen Derby sealed the next round by scoring the winner.

Round 4, Wigan Athletic, a Premier League side. Now we we're living the dream! Quite honestly never expected to win this game in a million years, but you can't help but have a small part of you that believes and the excitement takes over. Realistically though we we're just thrilled to draw a Premier League side as we would make a good sum of money from the draw. We didn't go to Wigan as G was unwell, but we listened intently on the radio. I don't know how G slept through all the shouting and screaming that was coming from the sofa, but it soon went quiet as we took the game to penalties. It was torture listening to the penalties never mind watching them, but we did it, we won. 4-2 on penalties would you believe! Bantams everywhere were floating on clouds after that game!

Round 5, Arsenal, another Premier League side, what a dream! My mum very kindly agreed to babysit so both S and I could go to the game along with Big Brother. Driving to Valley Parade we we're listening to the line up on the radio, our hearts literally sinking as we heard the line up for Arsenal who clearly had enough respect for Bradford to be fielding their full first team against us. Despite this the atmosphere throughout VP was electric, we played out of our skins and held onto the lead for most of the game with a single goal from Garry Thompson but Arsenal managed a draw and we went to extra time. The stress starting to show now through the fans, but the players kept going and we got through to penalties. Much worse than the penalties against Wigan as we had to watch these, I felt sick with nerves, but as we kept scoring the penalties the excitement kept building. We did it, we, little old Bradford in League Two beat Arsenal to reach the Semi Final of the League Cup!

The Semi Final was over two legs and we had drawn another Premier League side, this time Aston Villa. I went to the home leg with Big Brother and S watched it on the TV at his friend's house with G. We out played Villa and earned a well deserved 3-1 win with goals from Nahki Wells, Rory McArdle and Carl McHugh. I watched the away leg on TV with G, my mum and our fellow Bantam friends Ray & Anne while S and Big Brother made the exciting journey to Villa Park. What an emotional roller coaster that game was!  Villa pulled out all the stops in the second leg and beat us 2-1 that night with a single goal from James Hanson but it just wasn't enough for them as we had won 4-3 on aggregate. Bradford City were going to Wembley, yes Wembley! We actually made it to the League Cup Final!

We were playing Swansea City in the final, this was their first League Cup Final too and they were equally as ecstatic. We bought our Wembley tickets, booked a hotel, found our old tape from Wembley 1996 and I dug out my home shirt from 1996 too.

The Wembley 1996 song!

We drove down to Nodnol the day before the game in a two car convoy. In front was Macca driven by me with S in the back entertaining a very excited G. Followed by Big Brother who had Mum, Nephew and Big Niece in his car. We didn't stop until we reached Leicester Service Station as this was the rest stop we made in 1996 and we were feeling very superstitious! This was the first long distance journey I had made in my car Macca and it was pretty tyring so once we arrived we unpacked, had a lovely dinner and went to bed. The boys went to a wrestling show that evening and they had a great time. 

On the drive down with Billy Bantam

Well the morning came, excitement hit fever pitch in our hotel. At breakfast the restaurant was a sea of claret and amber, with one table opposite ours that was occupied by four Swansea fans. We filled up and packed up more than we needed for G as usual and started the drive to the tube station. It felt like an eternity until we were parked up and ready to get on the tube.

The tube was 100% Bantams and the journey flew by as everyone was absorbed in the carnival atmosphere on board. G was the tiniest fan on board at 10 months old so attracted all the attention and fuss, of course he loved it! Then we were there..... Wembley....

Our first sight of Wembley...

A wave of emotion came over Big Brother, S and myself. After 12 years of hardship, financial difficulties, threatened closure and relegation's, here Bradford City were, at Wembley in the League Cup Final. Emotions increased even more by the fact that Big Brother had two of his children there with him to witness this momentous occasion and for S and myself this was G's first ever Bradford City game, a dream come true for us and our baby Bantam.

We made the walk up Wembley Way, it was completely different to 1996 and we discussed these changes on the walk up. We met up with our friends Ray, Anne & Eliis on the way and we grabbed a programme and a giant flag too. We took lots of photos and made our way into the stadium which had changed so much since we were last there, we wanted to find our seats early so G could have his lunch before kick off.

S, G and me on Wembley Way

It really was something else, the sea of claret and amber was a breathtaking sight. Our feelings of "We don't expect to win, it's a trip out to Wembley and we're just excited to have made the final" had flown out of the window. We dared to dream now, even discussing how the club could afford to compete in Europe if we won the match. Now we felt that we needed to win, that making it to the final at Wembley wasn't enough, that looking back on how far we had come we couldn't let go now.

A beautiful tribute to the 56 who died in the 1985 fire.

Well the whistle for kick off was blown and there was no looking back. It was evident straight away that something wasn't quite right, Swansea we're allover us and after just 16 minutes they had scored. But that didn't stop us getting behind the team, it was only one goal and there was plenty of time left. We tried to hold them off but we went in at half time two goals down. We had mixed feelings now, we were only two goals behind, we could pull this back, but in our hearts we knew that the enormity of the League Cup Final and Wembley was too much for the lads and the nerves had taken over, so part of us just hoped we could score a goal and not take a complete battering from Swansea. But sadly the second half was even worse, we conceded three more goals and lost the game 5-0. That said no one can ever take away the amazing loyal support and love of the fans, we spent the second half on our feet singing our hearts out, celebrating the fact the little League Two Bradford City had beat three Premier League clubs, one over two legs, to reach the League Cup Final at Wembley and that in itself was something truly amazing to be proud of.

To be honest you couldn't take anything away from Swansea either, they had done well to reach the final also, and on the day they played well. Their fans were friendly and had a lot of respect for the Bantams for making it this far.

Well we stayed back to watch the lads receive their runners up medals, we saw Swansea lift the cup, but then we left as staying to watch the celebrations was just too much for us. I have to be honest that despite what we had achieved it still hurt to stand there knowing how close we had come, yet it felt so far away. 

The walk back down Wembley Way was slow and I couldn't help but look back at the stadium, which looked stunning all lit up now as it had become dark outside. I took a moment to capture a photo and said goodbye to Wembley, I also in that moment said to Wembley to be ready for our return in May. I was right, we did return in May, but that's another story for another day....

See you again in May!



Linking up with #FlashbackFriday and Mummy Mishaps

Also linking up with #PostCommentlove and Verily Victoria Vocalises



  

 

 

 

Surviving a bus journey

Since Macca broke down last week we've had to make a few bus journeys, I can safely say it has been enlightening and that's putting it nicely! I noticed that the buses have notices up with certain seating rules and after observing other passengers I have come up with a few pointers to help others survive a bus journey...

1) THE SEATS AT THE FRONT These seats are supposed to be reserved for disabled or elderly passengers, but also parents with a pram. If you have a pram and need to sit here whatever you do avoid eye contact with the elderly as they board the bus, wow you just wouldn't believe the deathly ninja stares that come from them!

2) DON'T FALL ASLEEP Besdies the obvious, that you would miss your stop, there are many other dangers of falling asleep on the bus. The chance that there are a couple of school kids on the bus with a marker pen in their possession is highly likely, if you fall asleep then you're just asking for those whiskers, the porn tash or that pirate eye patch they've lovingly drawn on your face... If you're lucky enough to avoid this you still need to worry about embarrassing yourself, snoring, sleep talking, drooling. Not a good look for anyone!

3) WEAR A SCARF Preferably one you have sprayed a fragrance onto, you'll thank me for this one when you're sat next to Sir Farts-A-Lot!

4) MP3 Take your earphones with you, you'll need them to drown out the annoying voices, I guarantee you will hear at least one annoying conversation whilst on a bus journey and they're a great excuse to avoid talking to the random smelly weirdo that chose to sit next to you despite the fact the bus isn't even half full.

5) NO SINGING Whilst we're on the subject of MP3's, you must remember where you are, otherwise you could get carried away listening to your favourite tunes and let's face it, not many of us have the voice to pull off "Dancing Queen".

Finally...
6) QUEUES Don't be fooled by the friendly looking pensioner who is stood behind you in the queue smiling sweetly at your tiny person who is sat  nicely in the pram. When they're looking at you stood there with the pram, juggling your shopping bags they're plotting their move, be ready! When those bus doors open you need to be ready to run like Usain Bolt because believe me they will move at the speed of light to push past you to be first on the bus!

I'd love to hear of any other survival tips that any of you may have for bus journeys as I'll probably have a few more to go on before Macca is back on the road...

Introduction

So I've finally got around to setting up a blog, it's something I have thought about doing for a while now. I thought I'd start with a little introduction about myself and my family for those of you that don't know us very well yet. So I'm Katrina, I'm a stay at home mum, I can safely say it's the most difficult and most rewarding job I have ever had, I love every moment!

 

 

As you can see I have a son, called Griffin, he's 18 months now and he is my world along with my Husband Scott. We have been through a lot together over the past few years, Scott is my rock and I can't imagine life without either of my boys.

 

 

 

There are two more members of our little family, they are Sooty and Sweep, our beautiful kittens. They are six months old now and love to play, day and night! Sooty is very curious and she likes to wonder and visit the neighbours. Sweep is more of a homely cat, he prefers to stay close but he does love to follow his cousin Ringo who lives next door, he also eats everything in sight!

 

 

 

When I was pregnant I suffered from a serious condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum, I was very poorly for my entire pregnancy which became a battle for survival. I am planning to write about my pregnancy in the hope that it will reach out to others who are suffering or who have suffered and also to help raise awareness of the condition. 

I am also a breastfeeding mother and have come across many issues in this area, I'm a strong believer that a mother should choose whichever feeding method suits her and her baby best, regardless of if it's formula or breast milk and I also understand and am sympathetic to the fact that a mother sometimes doesn't have the choice for whatever reason. I am passionate to support women who want to breastfeed and to normalise breastfeeding so that women can feed anywhere and whenever they need to with confidence. So you will also find me writing about breastfeeding often too.

Scott, Griffin and I are also completing 9k walks every month to raise money for a charity that is close to our hearts, so I will be updating you as we complete each walk, with lots of photos! You will also be hearing lots about our journey as a family, places that we visit and hopefully an improvement in my cooking skills. 

I hope that you enjoy reading the blogs, I'll be back very soon with the next one. 

Katrina x

Where have the past 18 months gone?

It's hard to believe that you're 18 months now, it only seems like yesterday that you arrived. You were so tiny and so perfect, which was a miracle considering how ill I had been and how much medication I had to take to keep us both alive. You really are a HG hero, a true miracle!

From the moment you were born you filled our hearts with joy, we can't imagine what life was like before we had you. You have a cheeky smile and could charm the birds out of the trees. It's going to be very difficult to be cross with you when you do anything naughty! 

Your first birthday came along far too quickly, you had grown so much and your first two teeth had just popped through. 

You were 16 months when you took your first steps, we were so proud! Now you're running around everywhere!

You love your food and right from the start you insisted on feeding yourself. You love to explore your food too, which makes a lot of mess, but we don't mind as we love to see you enjoying your food and well it's just part of who you are! 

We are so proud of you and love you so much that there are no words to describe how much. You make us smile every day, you fill our lives and our hearts with so much joy. It doesn't matter how old you are or how tall you become over the years, you will always be Mummy and Daddy's little man...