Hanson’s bullet header takes brilliant Bradford to Wembley

After 843 minutes and almost eight weeks without a goal, the striker plucked from stacking shelves at the Co-op four summers ago last night chose the perfect moment to break his scoring duck to fire the Bantams to Wembley.

With an unstoppable bullet header that flew past Villa goalkeeper Shay Given like an exocet missile nine minutes into the second half, Hanson earned his place in Bradford footballing folklore.

His strike, which restored the two-goal cushion City had earned in the first leg a fortnight earlier, meant there was no way back into the tie for the Premier League side despite a late strike by substitute 
Andreas Weimann.

Instead, Bradford created history by becoming the first team from the fourth tier of English football to reach a major Wembley final.

It is an incredible achievement and one that was celebrated with understandable gusto by the 6,000 strong travelling army of fans who had headed south hoping to see their team prevail, but also well aware that Villa remained the 
favourites to reach the February 24 final.

For 45 minutes, it seemed the semi-final second leg would, indeed, run true to form with Villa dominating.

That they only had one goal to their name at the interval – courtesy of Christian Benteke – was as much down to luck as good judgment on the part of Bradford, who for long periods of that first half had looked overawed by the occasion.

All that changed, however, once Hanson had netted his eighth goal of the season and surely only the most one-eyed Villain would claim Bradford did not deserve to book their first appearance in a major final since 1911 when the Yorkshire club lifted the FA Cup.

An illustration of just how long City have waited to appear in their second major Cup final is that success over Newcastle United came a year before the Titanic set sail on her fateful maiden voyage.

All in all, therefore, a truly amazing night in the history of Bradford City, who this morning are not only the toast of Yorkshire football but also the entire country (bar the claret and blue part of Birmingham) – especially after the manner in which they responded to what was a difficult start to the night.

Villa manager Paul Lambert had clearly sent his side out with instructions to start at a much higher tempo than had been the case in the first leg at Valley Parade.

For the opening quarter of the game, this manifested itself in Villa having plenty of territorial advantage but without unduly testing Matt Duke in the visitors’ goal.

The City goalkeeper did have to get down smartly to save a 20th-minute shot from Gabriel Agbonlahor after the one-time England international had turned smartly inside the area.

In truth, though, Duke would have been hugely disappointed to be beaten by a shot that lacked sufficient power to truly test him.

The same could be said about the rest of Villa’s attacking efforts in the opening quarter with Rory McArdle cutting out a couple of crosses and one-time Bradford junior Fabian Delph firing over after creating space for himself.

It meant as the first half reached the midpoint, Bradford could be pleased with their work. Any hopes, however, that the stalemate would continue until at least the break were soon dashed when the home side went ahead.

Pinpoint delivery from the left flank by Joe Bennett created the opening and Christian Bentecke did the rest with a volleyed finish to beat Duke from eight yards out.

Once ahead, Lambert’s men visibly relaxed and City were twice thankful to Duke for pulling off fingertip saves to maintain their slender aggregate lead at the break.

First, N’Zobgia was left frustrated as his 20-yard drive was tipped over by the City goalkeeper who then denied Stephen Ireland with a similarly impressive save.

With Villa so dominant, Bradford found chances hard to come by in the opening 45 minutes, but Nahki Wells did, at least, manage to give the hosts a moment of concern just before the break with a curled effort that flashed just past Shay Given’s upright.

It was a warning to the Premier League side that there was still plenty of life in the tie, but it was one they failed to heed.

And the moment 6,000 Bradfordians had travelled south hoping to savour duly arrived when Hanson met Gary Jones’s inch-perfect corner with a bullet header that gave Given no chance.

The travelling army of fans from Yorkshire went wild, almost as if more than a decade of pent-up frustration as their team slid from the Premier League to the basement division had finally been released.

City’s night almost got even better just after the hour when Zavon Hines picked out Hanson in the six-yard area with a wonderfully flighted cross from the right flank.

With the striker unmarked, it seemed just a case of waiting for the net to bulge only for Hanson to miscue his header and the ball squirmed wide.

Garry Thompson went even closer to strengthening Bradford’s grip on the tie in the 74th minute with a shot that thundered against the crossbar.

Weimann did pull a goal back a minute from time after the City defence were caught out by a long ball forward, but there was to be no denying the gutsy Yorkshire side their first trip to the rebuilt national stadium.

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Aston Villa: Given; Lowton, Clark, Vlaar, Bennett; Delph, Bannan, Ireland; N’Zogbia, Agbonalhor; Benteke. Unused substitutes: Guzan, Bent, Holman, Weimann, Stevens, Lichaj, Carruthers.

Bradford City: Duke; Darby, McHugh, McArdle, Good; Hines, G Jones, Doyle, Atkinson; Wells, Hanson. Unused substitutes: McLaughlin, Ravenhill, Reid, Thompson, Connell, Nelson, Turgott.

Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire).