Newcastle United 4 Bradford City 1: Bantams bow out but not before Andy Cook has his fairytale
Bradford City went out of the League Cup with a 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United but such are the way of it for them at the moment, they were still able to go home celebrating.
With Josh Neufville, Antoni Sarcevic and Tyreik Wright on the bench – all came off it – it was clear Bantams manager Graham Alexander was not going to shed too many tears if his side went out of the League Cup, as the form book always suggested they would. Top of League One, Saturday's visit of Blackpool was always going to be more of a priority.
But they still managed to go home with something as Andy Cook scored his third goal of the season in only his third appearance since anterior cruciate ligament damage on the ground he always dreamed of playing on – just in Newcastle black-and-white, not Bradford pink.
Nine months into a 2025 ruined by anterior cruciate ligament damage to the talismanic centre-forward's knee, it was a heartwarming moment.
Six days earlier, Barcelona had travelled to St James' Park and been on another level to Newcastle. When it was Bradford's turn, the boot was on the other foot.
Sometimes when you give all you have got, you just have to accept the other lot are better.
The Magpies were four goals to one better.
The best teams do not just hit you once, they clonk you again before you have cleared your head, and that was how Newcastle put this contest beyond reasonable doubt inside just 20 minutes.
Bradford had started reasonably well, Brad Halliday having a shot inside the first minute, even if it was weak and at Aaron Ramsdale. Bobby Pointon had a shot tipped behind after a quarter of an hour after referee Thomas Kirk gave advantage after Lewis Miley's foul on Lewis Miley.
Newcastle's was a "cup team" too but it still had plenty of quality and the pace of Anthony Elanga, who sprinted clear only to be met by a crunching Ciaran Kelly foul as the Bantams met Premier League quality with League One physicality.
They also had Anthony Gordon, whose 17th-minute shot was blocked. But when the ball got stuck under Halliday's feet, Joelinton pounced to open the scoring.
And even more than Elanga and Gordon they had the brilliant Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes, whose pass two minutes later released former Sheffield United striker Will Osula to double the lead.
If it killed the game as a contest, it did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the near-5,000 away fans halfway to the moon at the back of the Leazes End.
The third goal was always more likely to come from the hosts, Gordon's deflected shot dragged wide after another Elanga run, Sam Walker sticking out a right boot to deny Osula, then down low to keep Gordon's shot from distance out.
Walker was called upon again to deny Osula froma tight angle after another defensive-splitting pass from Guimaraes. When the ball went out of play Walker went down injured not because he necessarily was, but so Alexander could gather his players in and try to work out a plan B. Or maybe C or D.
Bradford finished the half with a half-chance when Stephen Humphrys cut out a Malick Thiaw cross but it was Emil Krafth on the end of Max Power's cross, putting it behind for a corner.
Walker started the second half with another save, down low from Gordon, but soon the Bantams were able to call Ramsdale into action, albeit Humphrys' header from a Pointon cross did not require him to move his feet.
Guimaraes clipped the angle of post and crossbar, Walker saved from Elanga, Joelinton glanced a header wide and Gordon shot weakly at the goalkeeper as Bradford resolutely refused to crumble.
After an hour, Alexander made the substitution the Bradford fans had been begging for and the man himself had been dreaming off since the second Bradford's name came out of the hat, introducing Cook.
Newcastle responded by bringing on £69m Nick Woltemade and soon had a third, Guimaraes chasing a ball clipped into him by Tino Livramento and Joelinto passing into the net.
Cook, though, had his moment in the 79th minute, and it owed plenty to Tommy Leigh.
Leigh used his head to cut out Miley's pass out from the back, then kept it to pick out Cook.
Without a net to stop it, there could have been a serious injury, such was the power of the strike.
Cook raised both arms in triumph in front of the delighted away following. It was a very special reward for days of lonely rehabilitation work.
With only the slightest if tweaks, the Bradford supporters met it with the song that used to ring out across st James' for Andy Cole.
Osula restored Newcastle's three-goal lead by tapping a Harvey Barnes cross in from about a yard but there was no raining on Bradford's parade and especially not Cook's.
Bradford City: Walker; Byrne (McIntyre 79), Pennington, Kelly (T Wright, 61); Halliday (Neufville 61), Leigh, Power, Touray; Powell (Sarcevic HT), Pointon; Humphrys (Cook 61).
Unused substitutes: J Wright, Metcalfe, Hilton, Lapslie.
Newcastle United: Ramsdale; Krafth (Trippier 61), Botman (Murphy 88), Thiaw, Hall (Livramento 61); Guimaraes, Miley; Joelinton; Elanga (Woltemade 69), Osula, Gordon (Barnes 69).
Unused substitutes: Pope, Lascelles, Tonali, Willock.
Referee: T KIrk (Manchester).