A Season To Remember – Bradford City 1999/00
Bradford City had reached the big time! They had last played in the top flight of English football 77 years previously and they were determined not to be there not to make up the numbers.
Bradford’s fans had sat and watched fellow Yorkshire team Barnsley steal all of the limelight two seasons prior when they had a season in the Premiership. They were determined that their club would survive a season in the top flight and go better than their Yorkshire counterparts!
Manager Paul Jewell brought in a few shrewd signings over the summer, all but one having had Premiership experience at some point in their careers.
It was one of those experienced signings, Dean Saunders (brought in from Benfica), who would score the only goal of the opening game of the season away to Middlesbrough.
The first home game of the season followed, a home game against Sheffield Wednesday. Peter Beagrie scored an 89th minute penalty (the same time that Saunders had scored the winner in the first game!) to salvage a draw.
Bradford then suffered their first defeat of the season as Watford took all three points at Vicarage Road. Two further defeats left Bradford sitting 18th in the table at the end of August. It was quickly apparent that life in the top tier would be hard work.
Bradford would only pick up two wins in September and October, a 1-0 away win at Derby County and a 3-1 home win over Leicester City. In the other four league games, they lost three and drew the other.
A 3-1 defeat at Liverpool was hardly the perfect start to November and it would get no better until Newcastle United visited Valley Parade a week before Christmas. Summer signings Dean Saunders and David Wetherall scored in the second half to give the Bradford fans some hope.
Sadly the victory over Newcastle was followed up with a trip to Old Trafford to play the Treble winners of the previous season. This was probably the worst time to face United (as if there was ever a good time) as confidence would have been high after beating Newcastle in front of Bradford’s home support.
Quinton Fortune, Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole and Roy Keane all scored in a convincing 4-0 win. Despite the result, Bradford City stayed in 17th place in the table, one place above the relegation zone. If they could stay in that position then they would be able to get a second season in the PRemier League!
City ended the year with a credible 0-0 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.
In the first half of the season, they had scored 15 goals and conceded 29 in the first 19 games and sat 17th in the table.
Two away defeats and a draw at home to Chelsea weren’t enough to inspire any confidence for the fans and City had now slipped into the relegation places.
Two home wins on the bounce against Watford and Arsenal gave City fans renewed hope. These were followed up by a freak 5-4 defeat at West Ham United and then draws against Tottenham and Aston Villa.
On 12th March City lost 2-1 at home to local rivals Leeds United. This was the first of six consecutive defeats that looked certain to send Bradford straight back to the First Division after only one season.
Their form changed when it was most needed and an amazing 4-4 draw at home to Derby gave them a valuable point in their efforts to avoid the drop.
A win at Sunderland was followed up with a 3-0 crucial win over fellow strugglers Wimbledon and the great escape looked to be on!
All hope seemed to crash around them as Bradford were swept aside in a dominant 3-0 defeat at Leicester City. The Bantams would need to win at home to Liverpool, who were trying to finish in third place and hope that Wimbledon wouldn’t beat Southampton.
David Wetherall, the summer signing from neighbours Leeds United nodded home from a free kick on 13 minutes to give Bradford hope. They clung onto their lead as if their lives depended on it. Word got through from The Dell that Southampton were beating Wimbledon and that would keep City up.
Liverpool tried but failed to get an equaliser and in doing so, missed out on a place in the Champions League. The celebrations at the final whistle from the Bradford fans were similar to the year before when promotion was confirmed. Bradford had done it, they were in the Premiership and there to stay!
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