Bradford guaranteed themselves a £10million pound dream ticket to the
Premiership with a stunning come-from-behind display to end 77 years of
heartache outside the top flight.
Goals from Peter Beagrie, former Wolves striker Lee Mills and Robbie Blake
fired Bradford into the big-time and capped a stunning about-turn in fortunes
for boss Paul Jewell.
Just seven games into the season, and with just five points in the bag, the
fans were calling for the head of the amiable Scouser who had endeared himself
to chairman Geoffrey Richmond.
The faith showed in Jewell today came to glorious fruition as the Bantams
joined runaway champions Sunderland in the Premiership - although City are
certain to start as odds-on favourites to come straight back down.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for Bradford in the early stages,
particularly with nearest rivals Ipswich romping to success at home to Sheffield
United.
While the heart of every City fan was in their mouths during an agonising
final 15 minutes in which Beagrie missed a penalty which would have put the
tin-lid on promotion.
For Wolves, it was yet another season of so near and yet so far, one which
promised so much yet yielded so little, although manager Colin Lee deserves
considerable praise.
The confidence and pride had been drained out of Wolves during the dying
embers of Mark McGhee's reign, characteristics which again came to the fore
under Lee and assistant John Ward who has been linked with the vacant Barnsley
post.
Wolves ended the season losing just two of their last 21 games, but can
pin-point the fact they took just three points from the last 12 for their
failure to reach the play-offs.
The Midlands club, for whom the tag 'sleeping giants' has become synonymous,
knew they had to win today while hoping Watford and Bolton slipped up.
Lee's side started the game like men possessed, which left City reeling and
seemingly with no answer to Wolves' bite and tenacity.
When the home side took a 13th-minute lead there was a hint that Wolves would
go on to take the game by the scruff of the neck and throttle the life out of
Bradford such was their early dominance.
There was a touch of good fortune to the goal, but nothing more than Wolves
deserved, with Havard Flo heading home his sixth of the season.
Paul Simpson delivered a deft cross from just inside the edge of the area for
Neil Emblen to loop a knock-back header onto the bar.
Keeper Gary Walsh had lost his balance as he backtracked in an attempt to
clear, which left the £700,000 capture from Werder Bremen the simplest of
chances as he powered home a bullet header.
But after 20 minutes, and within an instant, Wolves took their foot off the
gas, lost their impetus - call it what you will - it was an astonishing
turnaround.
Bradford had barely seen the whites of Mike Stowell's eyes prior to Peter
Beagrie somersaulting and back-flipping his way to a 26th-minute equaliser.
Skipper Keith Curle's initial mistake led to the chance, which Beagrie took
full advantage of as he spurned the easier option of a pass to an in-space
Robbie Blake to go it alone.
The 33-year-old former Everton and Manchester City winger turned one-time
Bradford old boy and Wolves centre-back Dean Richards inside-out before
delivering a low, left-foot drive beyond Stowell for his 15th of the season to
spark his now trademark acrobatics.
The heart appeared to have been ripped out of Wolves, with their defence
suddenly all-at-sea, which was apt as it parted with ease for City to take a
41st-minute lead.
Blake's contribution prior to that was non-existent, but he supplied the pass
between Curle and Richards which the Titanic could have sailed through. Mills
initially appeared surprised that he should be in such a fortunate position,
checking to see if he was at first offside, then despatching his 25th goal of
the season past Stowell.
It appeared to be all over when Blake pounced on another Curle error to make
it 3-1 in the 65th minute, even more so when referee Chris Foy awarded a dubious
77th-minute penalty for the visitors.
Richards was booked for protesting too loud and too long after he had bundled
into Jamie Lawrence, only for Stowell to stunningly save the spot-kick from
Beagrie.
When Paul Simpson pulled Wolves back into it in the 80th minute, there was
still time for all Bradford's hard work to fall apart at the seams.
It so nearly did just that five minutes from the end of normal time when
Simpson curled a 25-yard free-kick against the left-hand post.
Time almost seemed to stand still for a moment as a full-house Molineux waited
in anticipation to see who would get on the end of the ball with Gary Walsh
prone - fortunately for City it was John Dreyer who hacked clear.
Despite four minutes of nerve-wracking injury-time, Bradford held on to spark
unbridled scenes of jubilation among the players, management and 3,000
travelling faithful, not forgetting the thousands watching in West Yorkshire.
Teams:
Wolverhampton: Stowell, Muscat, Gilkes, Sedgley, Richards,
Curle, Simpson, Emblen, Flo (Bull 61), Keane (Corica 72),Osborn (Robinson 72).
Booked: Curle, Richards.
Goals: Flo 12, Simpson 81.
Bradford: Walsh, Wright, Jacobs, McCall, Moore, Dreyer,
Lawrence, Blake (Sharpe 83), Mills, Whalley,Beagrie (Windass 83).
Subs Not Used: Watson.
Booked: Jacobs, Mills, Windass.
Goals: Beagrie 25, Mills 40, Blake 64.
Bradford are promoted
Att: 27,589
Ref: C Foy (St Helens).
E-mail Article 
Print-Friendly
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
Post to del.icio.us
Facebook