Atkinson silences City boo boys on Bradford’s road to Wembley

His loan stint at Valley Parade from Hull City had been far from a happy one with the club’s fight for Football League survival meaning tempers among supporters were short and patience thin on the ground.

Thrown into this maelstrom in late January, Atkinson struggled to do justice to the potential he had first shown towards the end of Hull’s two-year stay in the Premier League and the unforgiving boo boys soon had a new victim in their sights.

Manager Phil Parkinson then took the Beverley-born midfielder out of the firing line in mid-March as City battled against relegation to the Conference.

Tellingly, Atkinson only returned once survival had been secured, starting the final two games as the Bantams lost to Cheltenham Town and then claimed a goalless draw against League Two champions Swindon Town.

With Hull having confirmed their intention to release Atkinson before the season had ended, a fresh start at a new club seemed the most likely outcome for a player who had been sent out on loan seven times by the Tigers.

Instead, Parkinson came calling and the offer of a 12-month deal was accepted early in the summer. The news, though, was not released until the start of July and the internet messageboards dedicated to all things City were quick to give their verdict.

It was not one that made comfortable reading for Atkinson, Parkinson or the club with many supporters having clearly made their mind up about the signing.

Seven months on, however, those critics have been won round by Atkinson emerging as one of the most consistent performers in the squad.

“I was here at the end of last season and, being honest, it wasn’t a great place to be around,” says the 24-year-old when asked by the Yorkshire Post about his turnaround in fortunes.

“We were losing games, weren’t playing well and the expectations are a lot higher here than at most clubs. I came in for some stick. But it is part and parcel of football.

“Things can change quickly so you have to be confident in yourself. You can’t be a shrinking violet because when times get rough, that is when you need to be at your best.

“You have got to keep believing in yourself and believing that you will come through it stronger.”

Atkinson has, indeed, shown the value of remaining strong by being involved in all but five of City’s 45 league and cup games this term.

And two of those were Johnstone’s Paint Trophy ties, while another was the FA Cup second round replay at Brentford when Parkinson opted to ring the changes due to the demanding schedule his side had faced in the preceding weeks.

All in all, therefore, a fine effort for a player who, the Yorkshire Post asks, must have harboured serious doubts about returning to a club where he had already become a victim of the boo boys.

“No, not at all,” insists the City midfielder. “I definitely didn’t have second thoughts when the gaffer came in for me last summer. I really wanted to be part of things at Bradford City, which is a massive club.

“The manager and his staff were also telling me about what they were trying to instil so I never had any doubts about coming back.”

That decision has, of course, been justified several times over this season with Atkinson having featured in all seven of the club’s Capital One Cup ties.

He said: “I still have to pinch myself that we are talking about going to a final now. The turnaround since last season has been massive.

“Not just for me but the club as well. You look at where we are now compared to where we were and you just can’t believe it.

“To call this club a sleeping giant is probably an understatement. Just look at the home ties against Arsenal and Villa, when we had full houses. The fans have been unbelievable in both the league and the various Cups.

“For me personally, it has been thoroughly enjoyable and, hopefully, we can get more success. I am just enjoying every moment. You think it can’t get any better but then it seems to.

“We just never know what is going to happen next. We have done it in previous rounds and I see no reason why it can’t work in our favour again.”

For the second consecutive year, a Football League club will compete in the final. There is, though, little comparison between the achievement of big-spending Championship outfit Cardiff City in getting through to the 2012 League showpiece occasion when compared to Bradford’s feat of doing so from the basement division.

Only Rochdale have achieved the same feat, and that was in 1962 when 10 teams failed to enter and the Lancashire minnows received byes along the way in reaching a two-legged final they were destined to lose against Norwich City.

Atkinson said: “No one can ever take away the size of the achievement in getting to Wembley. It has been an amazing run and we all can’t wait for the final to come round. Mind, the funny thing is there have been a few people coming out the woodwork asking for tickets. I have just told them, ‘I didn’t see you at Aldershot away’.

“Seriously, though, we can’t wait for the day to come round now. We just want to get the game under way.

“I watched last year’s final (when Cardiff lost to Liverpool on penalties) at home with the family, as I do with most big Cup finals. I never thought that a year later I’d be at a club about to play in the final. None of us could have and I don’t think it will hit us that we’re playing in the final this year until we walk out.

“I have tried to picture in my head what Sunday will be like but, even in your wildest imagination, you can’t get to grips with what it is going to be like when you walk out and hear the roar.

“We had a little taste of it when we played at Wigan (in the fourth round) and had 5,000 of our fans there. But there will be 35,000 going to Wembley and that is going to be incredible.”

Bradford are undoubtedly the underdogs going into Sunday’s 4pm kick-off. That, though, has not fazed Parkinson’s men in previous rounds and is unlikely to do so again when they walk out of the tunnel alongside Premier League Swansea.

Atkinson added: “Let’s not forget it is a massive day for Swansea as well. They have not been to Wembley in a Cup final before so it is a big achievement for them to get there. The fact that it is a massive deal for a Premier League team puts into perspective what a great job we have done.

“It being their first final does even it out a little bit but Swansea are still in the Premier League and are going well. We all know it is going to be a tough game but we will enjoy the day and see where it takes us. The main thing is we have to keep our discipline. That has been the key thing we have taken from previous rounds. We have got here as a team by working well as a team.

“We know Swansea will have their fair share of possession and that we are going to have to take our chances when we get them. But we’ve done it before so why not again?”