Grimsby Town

City went on to win this game 2 - 0.
Before the First World War many clubs used to run annual club outings. It was an opportunity for fans to save up and travel en masse to a game that was often chosen by ballot.
In the spring of 1905 City’s away trip at Grimsby was chosen for City’s first ever club trip. Fortunately, City had hit a rich vein of form just before the trip, so with interest sky high three trains had to be laid on. Two left the Exchange station at 08.42 and 08.50am. The third left at 11.55am so those who worked Saturday morning could join the party. Several large firms allowed their workers to leave at 11.00am in order to catch the later train.
Over 2,000 made the journey to Grimsby, with 1,880 being booked from the Exchange station, with the remainder being sold via the booking offices at St Dunstans, Laisterdyke and Dudley Hill. The Bradford Boys team travelled with the supporters as they were playing Grimsby Boys as a curtain raiser to City’s match. The trains stopped at Grimsby Docks, New Clee and Cleethorpes. As they didn’t return until 8.45, 8.53 and 9.30pm, there was adequate time for the trippers to visit the delights of Cleethorpes and doubtless many of the local pubs.
The fans were in high spirits. Toyshops were invaded in search of anything that would make a noise. During the second half a deafening sound emitted from the City followers. In front of the press box there was a cornet, concertina, a huge bell, squeakers and rattles. Andy McGeachan scored twice as City made it three victories on the trot. At the final whistle the City fans poured onto the pitch and carried McGeachan and Jimmy Conlin off shoulder high. A similar attempt with James Garvey proved impossible due to the keepers’ bulk, so he was carried off feet first!
Earlier in the season City’s misfiring attack had been the subject of nightly letters in the local press. As City slipped down the table there was a real threat that the club would have to apply for re-election to the Football League. In those days the bottom three clubs and several potential new members of the Football League were subject to a vote of all the league clubs, with the losers being thrown out of the league. The victory at Grimsby pushed City further away from the danger zone. The scenes at the final whistle prompted the Bradford Daily Argus to comment that it was ‘difficult to realise that this was the team that had been so much abused, and this was the crowd that abused them’.
Picture shows City's wing wizard Jimmy Conlin who was carried off the Blundell Park
pitch shoulder high.

Accrington Stanley

The 1970's was one of the low points in Bradford's footballing history. In 1974 Bradford Park Avenue went into liquidation and by the early part of the decade City were struggling in the lower reaches of the fourth division. Crowds at Valley Parade were among the lowest in the club's long history. It was quite a come down for a city that had once boasted two top flight football clubs and the FA Cup winners.
The turning point came with City's amazing run to the quarter final of the FA Cup in 1976. The following season Joe Cooke's header against Bournemouth at Valley Parade was enough to secure promotion. For once there was a sense of optimism around the old ground and in recognition the Lord Mayor invited the City players to a civic reception. Our thanks to City stalwart Bill Roper for the photograph of the
reception and also to David Markham for identifying the players and officials.

Shrewsbury Town

(This game against fellow promotion seekers Shrewsbury Town ended in a 0-0 draw)
Over the last few years City fans have become all too familiar with fundraising initiatives. Indeed, in 2004 supporters raised a magnificent £250,000 to keep the club in business. At the time it was the largest amount ever raised by football supporters in Britain.
Older supporters will remember the frantic fund raising efforts to keep the club afloat in 1983 and the sadder task of the Bradford Disaster Fund in the wake of the fire in 1985. To its immense credit Bradford Council, led by chief executive Gordon Moore, reacted to the disaster rapidly. Within 48 hours the ground had been laid for the hugely successful disaster appeal.
Bradford was galvanised by the appeal. In every walk of life people found a way to help. Across the country the disaster struck a cord, thousands of pounds poured into the fund. From impromptu whip-rounds, to a fundraising record in the top ten, the disaster appeal exceeded all expectations by raising £4m. Jim Greenhalf later wrote in the Telegraph and Argus: ‘Pity Poor Bradford, a 17th Century ghost is said to have wailed. The world did; but Bradford collectively turned tragedy into its finest hour. The £4m raised for the disaster appeal was duly distributed through a trust fund without the slightest controversy or complaint.’
The specialist burns unit at Bradford University, set up after the disaster, still leads the world in pioneering research into reducing scarring from burns and plastic surgery. Professor David Sharpe, the director of the unit, was consultant on call at Bradford Royal Infirmary during the weekend of the fire disaster. He led a team of surgeons from all parts of the country to help the injured supporters. He received the OBE in 1986 in recognition of that work.
Fund raising has a very long history at Valley Parade. Five months before Bradford City was formed, our predecessors Manningham Northern Union (Rugby League) Club were facing financial ruin. Their second division derby against Leeds on New Years Day 1903 attracted a healthy 6,000 spectators. An athletics festival was held after the match with a harrier’s race commencing immediately after the final whistle. Then the crowd poured onto the field for the highlight of the day - an archery fund raising event. A huge sixteen foot slowly rotating target, full of thousands numbered tickets which had been sold all over the country in the preceding weeks, was set up in front of the main stand. Members of the Manningham committee and selected prominent gentlemen from Bradford shot 150 arrows at the target. A Mr W Wisdon of Woolwich, London won the first prize of £85. Mrs Smith of 67 Preston Street, Bradford carried away second prize of an upright piano. Third prize, a dining room suite, went to R Dent of Station Road, Oxenhope. The competition was a huge financial success.
This influx of funds enabled the club to break even come the end of the season. Even Manningham’s debts had been cleared. It was crucial as it allowed the newly formed Bradford City AFC to begin life on an even financial keel. Though eight years later the club had established itself as one of the top five clubs in the country, and had won the FA Cup, its birth against the background of financial turmoil was sadly to be a reoccurring theme over the century to follow.