27th August 2014. The two West Yorkshire giants had not locked horns in over three years, meaning lots had changed in that spell of time. Bradford City had since not only succeeded in gaining promotion to League One, but had also heroically made it all the way to the EFL Cup before losing out to Welsh side Swansea City in a 5-0 drumming from the Swans.
City had not defeated Leeds United in their past fourteen encounters, which iconic manager Phil Parkinson was eager to change. And so Valley Parade welcomed a booster crowd as underdogs Bradford once again pulled out a noticeable upset, coming from behind to come out victorious against Leeds and fight their way through to the third round of the EFL Cup. But over five years later and lots has changed; City are back in the underground of League Two and Leeds are on the verge of Premier League promotion. Where are the players who once engineered a Bradford comeback all those years ago?
(GK) Ben Williams- the goalkeeper who was also in between the stick in City's masterclass against Chelsea, Williams put in a solid shift against rivals Leeds back in 2014. Since departing Valley Parade, the shot stopped moved to Lancashire side Bury after 57 appearances in West Yorkshire. Williams played 21 games for Bury before departing to Blackpool as they fought off the poor ownership of the Oyston family. However he only acted as a back-up to Joe Lumley and made just six appearances for the Tangerienes but took over the goalkeeping coach role from Dave Timmins. Despite his switch into coaching, Williams was released from Blackpool and joined Bolton Wanderers, not just as a goalkeeping coach, but he was also registered as part of the clubs relegated squad.
(RB) Stephen Darby- a Bradford City legend, Darby was a true pleasure to watch at Valley Parade. In fact, he was so influential for City that he won seven awards at the end of season dinner awards in May 2014 and signed a new three year contract with the club one month later. He replaced Gary Jones as captain at the beginning of next season as the hard-working midfielder departed the club for Notts County. His captaincy lasted for two season before Stuart McCall took it away from him and allowed Romain Vincelot to possess it, before Darby was released from the club in May 2017. Following the news, ex-manager Parkinson brought Darby to Bolton as he signed a new two-year contract in the Lilywhites Championship tenure. However, he only made three appearances in his time in Bolton before opting to retire at the age of 29 upon being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, which lead to him setting up the Darby Rimmer foundation to help fund support for the families who were being affected by the motor neurone disease whilst also researching for a cure. In July 2019, his two favoured former clubs Bradford and Liverpool held a friendly in his name to honour the stalwart.
(CB) Rory McArdle- another stalwart at Valley Parade was McArdle who spent five years at the club and made a notable 183 appearances, scoring 12 goals in the process before leaving the club to join fellow League One side Scunthorpe United on a two year contract. He instantly captained the club but was slow to impress and his captaincy was stripped from him at the Sands Venue Stadium. He has made 35 appearances for the Iron so far and has remains at the club to this day, even following City into League Two.
(CB) Alan Sheehan- former Leeds defender didn't enjoy his spell at City despite the Leeds win, making just 25 appearances for Bradford in his two years at the club. He had spells at Peterborough United and Notts County on loan from the Bantams before joining Luton Town on loan for the 2015/16 season, but his deal was made permanent in late May, which was a decision he would not live to regret. In his time at the Hatters, Sheehan has made 97 appearances and achieved two promotions, even reaching as far as the Championship. But his stint came to an end in late January 2020 when he was released from Kenilworth Road and he made his way to Linocln City to help bolster the Imps League One campaign.
(LB) James Meredith- the Aussie full-back was a constant favourite at City after making 181 appearances for Bradford, including the EFL cup run, League Two promotion and 'that' Chelsea comeback. His performances earned himself a place in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2016/17 season, as City had an unbeaten home season before the 2017 play-off final which saw the Bantams suffer heartbreak and Millwall win promotion to the Sky Bet Championship. Not only did Millwall take Bradford's promotion hopes... they took Meredith too. He made 82 appearances at Championship level for the lions before his contract was mutually terminated and he returned to his native Australia, joining Perth Glory FC on a one year contract.
(CDM) Gary Liddle- After 61 appearances for City, Liddle departed the club for an undisclosed fee to Chesterfield, after being granted the club's captaincy role. However, he did not get off to a great start, after getting sent off within his first three games for the club. Liddle spent just one year at the Spireites before he was sold on an undisclosed fee to fellow League Two club Carlisle United. In his two years with the club, the holding midfielder made over 100 appearances before raising eyebrows by being released and joining recently relegated Walsall. Yet to impress the Saddlers, Liddle returned to former club Hartlepool, where he is remembered as an icon, on loan for the remainder of the season in England's fifth tier.
(CM) Billy Knott- the man who scored 'that' famous City goal, Knott has had a lengthy, jumbled career since being released by City. He found a new home in Gillingham, where he signed a two year contract and was described by the late Justin Edinburgh as "a very bright talent"but struggled for form before suffering a hamstring injury which doomed his Gills career. In February of 2017, Knott joined National League side Lincoln City on loan for the remainder of the season, where he helped Danny Cowley's Imps to a title. Having his contract terminated by Knott, he joined Lincoln on a permanent deal but struggled to find form in League Two with Lincoln leading to a loan move to Rochdale for the remainder of the season. At the Dale he lacked opportunities before the excellent midfielder began to struggle with depression and drinking heavily, and so he contacted the Professional Footballer's Association for help. He was released by Lincoln in 2018. Knott decided to drop down two tiers to join National League South side Concord Rangers, a level which he is definitely above and so it was an exceptional addition to the Rangers. However, they lost his services to league rivals Chelmsford City, whom he joined to help start a promotion push.
(CM) Jason Kennedy- in March 2015, Kennedy completed a one-month loan switch to Carlisle, where he impressed enough to sign permanently after being released by Bradford at the end of the season. Kennedy finished his two year contract in Carlisle and was released at the end of the 2018/19 season, where he went on trial to Hartlepool United. At the Pools he secured himself a contract but joined Spennymoor Town on loan until the end of the current season.
(CAM) Billy Clarke- a favourite at Valley Parade, Clarke continued to play for the club past the Leeds game and waited until 2017 before leaving to join promotion challengers Charlton Athletic. However, a serious knee injury ruined his Addick's campaign and he returned to Bradford on the 31st of January 2019 to attempt to save the club's abysmal relegation season. However he was released again by City at the end of the 2019/20 league campaign and he joined League Two side Plymouth Argyle on a short-term deal. On the same day as joining Plymouth he made his debut in a 2-0 win over Carlisle, but was released not long after to join Grimsby Town on a six-month contract. He has made an impressive start to his Grimsby career, even scoring on his debut, and is looking bright under Ian Holloway.
(ST) James Hanson- Bradford-born and the game winner, Hanson is a stalwart Bradforian. After 238 whole-hearted performances for City he left the club to win the title with fellow Yorkshire side Sheffield United, but struggled for opportunities at Brammall Lane and was shipped out on loan to Bury. After struggling at Bury he left the Blades by mutual consent and was snapped up by AFC Wimbledon but struggled with injury knocks at the Dons. He was linked with a return to City but Gary Bowyer quickly squashed the rumours. Hanson now plies his trade at Grimsby alongside Clarke in Holloway's promising Mariner squad.
(ST) Aaron McLean- one of the few players in the team that defeated Leeds who has retired now from football, McLean never truly flourished at City. In fact, he was sent out on loan to Peterborough in his time at the club and was eventually released in 2015 after six goals in 33 games. He joined Barnet on a short-term deal but left after just a few months at the Hive, joining Ebbsfleet United as a striker/coach before retiring to take up the job as a coach at the Fleet.
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