Bradford City v Bolton Wanderers: Penalty king Graham Alexander on spot-kicks, Churchillian speeches and Bantams' journey

The Roses rivals played out two tight draws in the regular season.

Wanderers head to Valley Parade with a single-goal advantage from the first leg of this semi-final tussle, but the tie remains very evenly-poised heading into the pivotal instalment, as most expected beforehand.

Should it end all-square on aggregate when the final whistle is blown, then a nerve-shredding penalty shoot-out will ensue.

Few are better placed to dispel the hackneyed notion that this part of football is a lottery than Graham Alexander.

In his playing days, the Bantams chief had few peers from 12 yards and is mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Ivan Toney, Matt Le Tissier and Harry Kane.

His record from the spot was legion, with a success rate of 90 per cent. He converted 77 penalties and was the go-to man for Preston North End, Burnley, Scunthorpe United and Luton Town.

Practicing penalties has understandably formed part of City’s preparation ahead of this second leg. If Alexander’s players sought any particular extra pieces of advice, then they had the perfect figure to run things over with.

He said: "So many tournaments and games are decided by it and it’s an important skill to have.

"When we got promoted with Salford, we won the semi-final on penalties as well. My career is littered with penalty shoot-outs.

"It used to be seen as a lottery and almost a toss of a coin, but it isn’t. It’s part of the game and the whole make-up of professional football.”

As for any particular advice, he continued: "I’ve tried to lead them in how to practice because each penalty is personal to the player and his technique and way of striking a ball. They are all different in that way.

"But you haven’t got to go and practise three or four different penalties. Just practise one and be really good at that.

"I always practised set-pieces and penalties and I remember once in my 20s, I was practising a free-kick with my left foot.

"The manager came up to me and asked what I was doing. Was I ever going to take a free-kick or a shot with the left foot?

“Be brilliant with that (good) foot and forget the other. It just made sense to practise what is real. So, I try to help players on that perspective.

"I do obviously understand the players we’ve got and their skillset. But a player’s got to make the decision and happy with that.

"I’ve had penalty takers in the past who didn’t want to practice. But they were my regular taker on a Saturday.

"That’s fine, as long as the end product was the same and it went in the net.”

For the second successive season, the final game of the season at Valley Parade is a monumentally important one for City.

Last May, it was Fleetwood and now it’s another Red Rose side.

But given the amount of big games that have been on the menu over the past 12 months or so for Alexander’s side, Churchillian speeches are not on the menu.

Alexander continued: "I've played a thousand games, but the amount of rousing speeches I can remember is probably about two or three.

"I just believe in consistency and people's personality and character and being leaders day in, day out and saying the right thing. So, you don't have to have this lull and then some explosion of desire.

"I trust my players. I don't think I have to go into that changing room and get them up for it.

"I know we've got a group of players that don't need that.

"Most of the time, if we've got something to say before a game or a couple of lines, some player beats me to it. It's just a general chat and I'll leave it."

For the second consecutive year, City's players and staff have delivered a story to savour, firmly planting the claret and amber flag back on the EFL map.

Whatever transpires tonight, Bradford are a club who can take immense credit from another memorable campaign. But it's a 2025-26 journey that everyone would dearly like to end at Wembley and not West Yorkshire.

"I didn't allow myself to think this far ahead at the start of the season," Alexander added.

"I just wanted to hit the ground running and get the team competitive and everything.

"But when you look at it now; I think someone said: 'Oh, we're potentially two games away from the Championship'. And then you think of the journey from 18th in League Two in two and a half years.

"So that's a rapid rise. We are behind other teams in planning stages and windows; all that sort of thing. But when you have opportunities, you've got to just give it everything you've got."