Twelve months on from Villa win and life is good for City

The mood could have been a sombre one. The striker whose goals had gone a long way towards firing Bradford City to not only promotion but also a historic Cup final appearance at Wembley had finally left.

Bantams supporters were certainly unhappy. Postings on internet messageboards screamed in unison that evening that not only had Wells been allowed to leave on the cheap, but he had also been sold to a bitter local rival.

Back at Valley Parade, however, the atmosphere was very different. There were no recriminations and no rancour. Instead, a sense of perspective pervaded the chat between joint chairman and manager.

“Nahki’s sale was going through and I was telling Phil what the club was like just two and a half years earlier,” explained Rhodes to the Yorkshire Post.

“In 2011, we were worrying about staying in the Football League, we were struggling with our overheads and there was a very real chance that we would have to leave Valley Parade.

“To go from that position to what has happened to Bradford City in the past year is nothing short of incredible. I said that to Phil, who knows as well as anyone that the life of a football club usually involves two steps forward and one step back.

“That is what has been happening to Bradford City. We have been to Wembley twice, won promotion and now our top scorer has gone to Huddersfield.

“You need a bit of perspective in football. That is why I also said to Phil that Friday, ‘Look at our opponents tomorrow, they (Bristol City) have just revealed a £12.9m loss for 2012-13’.

“I wasn’t picking on Bristol City, there are a few clubs registering big losses right now. But we were playing them the following day and I felt it was appropriate to say that by selling Nahki we were ensuring the stability of the club.

“We don’t have rich benefactors who can just write a blank cheque or who are willing to blow millions and millions.

“Instead, we have to run the club on sound financial grounds, which is why Nahki left. We couldn’t allow his contract (which had 18 months remaining when Wells joined Town) to run down any more, as his value would have dropped. When you have an asset, you don’t let its value depreciate. To enhance the business, you can’t do that.”

Tonight marks exactly 12 months since City knocked Aston Villa out of the League Cup to create history as the first club from the basement division of English football to reach a major Wembley final.

Bradford may have been thrashed 5-0 by Swansea City a month later, but Parkinson’s men bounced back in style to win promotion via the play-offs.

“It has been an incredible year,” said Rhodes. “Okay, we have won one out of our last 16 league games and people could be on a bit of a downer about that. But you have to reflect on where we were a year ago. Or, for that matter, even earlier.

“The other day, I was looking at the balance sheet from 2010-11 and, as it stands, we are nearly £3m better off now than we were back then.

“Included in that is paying Mark (Lawn, joint chairman) his (£1,080,000) loan back last summer. I think that £3m difference is a big, big statement – especially as it has been achieved by trading, basically the club’s performance on and off the pitch.”

After posting a profit of around £1.4m in the financial year to June 30, 2013, Bradford were – before the sale of Wells earlier this month – on course to make a seven-figure loss. That has now been wiped out.

A possible financial setback for the Bantams, however, could come in the first week of February, when the Court of Arbitration is due to rule on the club’s appeal against a FIFA ruling that they must pay 250,000 Euros – approximately £217,000 – for striker Mark Stewart.

Bradford signed the Scot from Falkirk in 2011 believing he was a free agent. FIFA later ruled he still belonged to Falkirk, prompting Bradford’s appeal. A decision was expected on January 18, but subsequently put back.

Rhodes is hoping the Court will find in City’s favour but admits: “Even if it does go against us, I would be very disappointed if, as a club, we didn’t break even in the current financial year.”

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