This is great! Bradford City just got done defeating EPL leaders Chelsea 4-2 in the FA Cup and now Bradford City manager Phil Parkinson is looking for higher aspirations for his team.
Ahead of the FA Cup 5th round draw which takes place Monday, Parkinson said, “If Manchester United can get through against Cambridge we’d love to have a go against them. I’m sure if we went to Old Trafford we’d probably have about 15,000 fans there, and it would be nice to give all the ones who couldn’t get tickets today another day of Cup football.”
On top of it being another prestigious matchup against an EPL team, the financial windfall provided to a League One team going against someone like Manchester United can be massive. Joe Prince-Wright from NBC Sports mentioned on Twitter that because Cambridge United, who is in League Two, drew against Manchester United Friday, the replay will earn Cambridge United around £1.6 million and is more than they are going to make in their entire season. That money generated can cause these low league teams to set themselves up for a promotion run.
Regardless of the reason, I love a manager who isn’t afraid to go against the big boys in English soccer, even if his team is lounging mid table in League One. Parkinson and Bradford City have had a history of being “giant killers.” They went to the 2013 Capital One Cup Final by defeating EPL teams Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa but lost to Swansea 5-0 in the Final. Now as they enter the final 16 of the FA Cup, they have a taste for more greatness. Who knows, with all these big name teams struggling to advance to the next round of the FA Cup, the door has opened up for a cinderella to take the trophy home.
