Going The Distance

So one last game to play in the Bradford City season, game 64 at Wembley Stadium two weeks yesterday, after this morning's overturning of their first leg deficit. From trailing Burton after the 3-2 home defeat on Thursday night in the semi final, first leg, was the season going to end in disappointing fashion? Nope! It's quite a shock to the system to have to be up at 4:40am to find a stream of the game and to put the kettle on. 

Burton had the best home record in the division this year (17 wins, 3 draws, 3 defeats, all of which were 1-0). But it's such a BCFC thing to do it the hard way, everyone was hoping things would go the way they did against Blackpool in 1996. After the first twenty minutes they calmed down and scored three goals which were aided to a greater or lesser degree by the comical defending of the Burton defence and goalie. The latter looked pretty ropey on Thursday night in the first game, and was just as iffy today. It would be the perfect way to end the season putting something right after the walloping they got at the hands of Swansea in the league cup final.

Useless Sunday afternoon digression:

Northampton's win over Cheltenham this evening means that there might be a reasonable chance at breaking the Fourth Division playoff final attendance. Northampton took 30,000+ to Wembley twice in the late 1990s and of course 33,000+ decamped from Yorkshire for the league cup final. Given the tickets are likely to be cheaper this time you'd hope a similar number will travel. Maybe even the Second West pub will get some this time. The record for the fourth tier game is the 61,589 that watched the 2007 final, the first at the newly re-opened Wembley Stadium. Given the records established this season, one way or another, one more would be nice.

2012: 24,029 (Cheltenham 0-2 Crewe, Wembley)

2011: 11,484 (Stevenage 1-0 Torquay, Old Trafford)

2010: 32,054 (Dagenham & Redbridge 3-2 Rotherham, Wembley)

2009: 53,706 (Gillingham 1-0 Shrewsbury, Wembley)

2008: 35,715 (Rochdale 2-3 Stockport, Wembley)

2007: 61,589 (Bristol R. 3-1 Shrewsbury, Wembley)

2006: 29,196 (Cheltenham 1-0 Grimsby, Millennium Stadium)

2005: 19,653 (Lincoln 0-2 Southend, Millennium Stadium)

2004: 37,298 (Huddersfield *0-0 Mansfield, Millennium Stadium)

2003: 32,148 (Bournemouth 5-2 Lincoln, Millennium Stadium)

2002: 24,368 (Cheltenham 3-1 Rushden & Diamonds, Millennium Stadium)

2001: 23,600 (Blackpool 4-2 Leyton Orient, Millennium Stadium)

2000: 33,383 (Peterborough 1-0 Darlington, Wembley)

1999: 36,985 (Leyton Orient 0-1 Scunthorpe, Wembley)

1998: 19,486 (Colchester 1-0 Torquay, Wembley)

1997: 46,804 (Northampton 1-0 Swansea, Wembley)

1996: 43,431 (Darlington 0-1 Plymouth, Wembley)

1995: 22,814 (Bury 0-2 Chesterfield, Wembley)

1994: 40,109 (Preston 2-4 Wycombe, Wembley)

1993: 22,416 (Crewe 1-1* York, Wembley)

1992: 22,741 (Blackpool *1-1 Scunthorpe, Wembley)

1991: 21,615 (Blackpool 2-2* Torquay, Wembley)

1990: 26,404 (Cambridge 1-0 Chesterfield, Wembley)

* won on penalties. Let's not even think about that on the 18th......it scares me to put the record to the test in such season-ending circumstances.