At the end of a storm, there’s a golden sky for Bradford City as Antoni Sarcevic's moment for the ages ends six seasons of League Two hurt - final word

Just when it looked like Bradford City’s dreams of automatic promotion were tossed and blown, they walked on into League One.

On this most poignant of occasions, as a record congregation of Bradfordians remembered the 56 four decades on - the strains of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ filled the air in the build-up to kick-off - it felt so right, fitting and proper that they did.

Prior to the game, Graham Alexander had urged his side to earn promotion in a way that was remembered. The astonishing events of the 96th minute were probably not what he quite had in mind as Antoni Sarcevic etched his name into claret and amber folklore.

In tears on the deck with his head in his hands a few minutes earlier after hooking over a glorious opportunity on an agonising afternoon which started out in hope but looked destined to end in crushing disappointment, the Mancunian experienced the volte-face in emotions after diverting George Lapslie’s volley into the net off his shin to kick-start pandemonium and a party-and-a-half. Agony to ecstasy.

The pandemonium? Not one, but two pitch invasions following Sarcevic’s joyous moment in front of the Kop, while some reports erroneously suggested that City’s match-winner had been sent off for a second yellow card after taking his shirt off while celebrating the goal which triggered the chaos.

Other duff information stated that Bradford were promoted following the second occasion when hordes of delirious fans rushed on again. Not quite, after a stoppage of several minutes, the game restarted for a few nervy minutes and was played to a conclusion before the relieving shrill of Martin Coy's final whistle.

A fair bit earlier in the final quarter, there had been a false suggestion that Walsall - who went perilously close to pooping City’s party by taking a 59th-minute lead at Crewe - had been pegged back in Cheshire. Pockets of cheers and excitement broke out. It was that sort of day.

The hosts had to rely on themselves and took matters into their own hands in the nick of time.

Sarcevic’s miss, preceded by a shot from Jack Shepherd which rattled the post, with his follow-up blocked, strongly suggested it was not City’s day. The play-offs were calling and then it happened. Never did a scruffy goal look more beautiful.

Give thanks to Sarcevic’s sixth sense in registering an incredible sixth promotion from the fourth tier in his career - his first was ironically with Fleetwood - to end City’s six-season League Two penance. The club’s previous length of time at this level had also been six years.

Bradford City, as is their wont, did things the hard way. Twas ever thus.

By the end, the overwhelming majority of the highest-ever fourth-tier Valley Parade crowd of 24,033 were provided with a memory for the ages to treasure. Emotionally, football takes you to places where few other things can.

This was something that not just the club needed, but also the city, to truly rediscover its sporting mojo. The UK’s 2025 City of Culture is now a city of League One again and it sounds good - after a few fair kicks in the teeth over many years.

A juicy renewal of rivalries with Huddersfield Town, in particular, awaits. They last met at league level in 2006-07.

Bradford are on their way, how did they get there on the day, no-one really knows or particularly cares. It’s in the record books.

After the commemoration before kick-off, the tension gradually took a vice-like grip when the game started, not helped by the absence of a soothing early opener.

Every passing minute without a breakthrough increased the anxiety levels by a notch. By half-time, there was palpable tension.

In open play, it was Fleetwood who produced the best first-half chance when Sam Walker made a critical point-blank save to deny Matty Virtue.

Calum Kavanagh saw his close-range header pushed onto the bar, but there wasn't a great deal else, with edginess among home followers not helped by the interval substitution of Alex Pattison, on the receiving end of challenge from Finley Potter which saw the Fleetwood man controversially cautioned instead of seeing red when the City speedster was in sprint mode and hurtling towards goal.

The second half wasn't happening from a City perspective, not helped by events in Crewe and it looked all change in the race to finish third.

It got increasingly desperate. The late chances City craved arrived for Shepherd and Sarcevic. It looked like it wasn't to be, but Sarcevic stuck around and a late twist wonderfully went his and Bradford's way after recent sickeners against Doncaster, Chesterfield and Swindon. Never in doubt..

Bradford City: S Walker; Byrne, Shepherd, Kelly; Halliday, Pattison (Leigh 46), Smallwood (Lapslie 87), Adaramola (Wright 87); Sarcevic, Pointon (Mellon 71); Kavanagh (Huntington 107). Substitutes unused: Hilton.

Fleetwood Town: Lynch; Bennett (Broom 71), Bolton, Potter (Medley 64); Rooney, Neal, Bonds, Helm; Virtue (Morrison 91); Patterson (Hunt 91), Devonport. Substitutes unused: Hewitson, Johnson, Moore.

Referee: M Coy (Co.Durham).