Cole Palmer admits it will be “weird” going back to Manchester City on Saturday as a Chelsea player.

Palmer makes a first return to the Etihad Stadium since moving to west London in a surprise switch at the end of the summer transfer window.

The 21-year-old cost Chelsea an initial £40million with an additional £2.5m in possible add-ons, but the deal has proved value for money as Palmer tops the Blues’ scoring charts with 12 goals.

“I have been surprised by how well it’s gone here so quickly, but I always back myself to succeed,” Palmer told the club’s official website.

“I’m looking forward to going back to the Etihad. It will be strange, a weird feeling, but I’m looking forward to it and the team’s looking forward to it.

“I’m very excited to be honest, even though it will be strange.

“Obviously I played against them at Stamford Bridge, but I think going back to the Etihad will be even stranger.”

The two teams produced a remarkable 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge in November when Palmer equalised from the penalty spot in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Ten of Palmer’s Chelsea goals have come in the Premier League and his form has catapulted him into contention for a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad this summer.

“When I made the decision to come down here with my family it was a really tough decision to leave,” said Palmer, who joined City at the age of eight and began the season by scoring for them in the Community Shield and Super Cup final.

“But I felt like I was ready to play week in, week out and showcase my ability.

“So thank you to the club and everyone who has supported me.

“It’s down to the manager (Mauricio Pochettino) giving me the freedom, the club giving me the opportunity and the lads, who have been great with me since I came in.

“I’ve settled fast so I’m enjoying it here.”

Chelsea have had an inconsistent season under Pochettino and are currently 10th in the Premier League, 20 points behind leaders Liverpool and 18 adrift of City.

But successive 3-1 wins at Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, the former coming in the FA Cup, have ensured that Chelsea take on Pep Guardiola’s English, European and FIFA World Club champions with growing confidence.

Palmer said: “The manager helps us all every day. Little conversations telling us what to do.

“We have meetings and he believes in us and we believe in ourselves.

“Everyone’s going to talk when you’re not doing well, but we just need to try and block it out and focus on ourselves.”

Mark Wood shone on his recall but hundreds from India captain Rohit Sharma and hometown hero Ravindra Jadeja blunted England’s charge on the opening day of the third Test.

Left out in Visakhapatnam, where the hosts levelled the series at 1-1, Wood rewarded England’s gamble to select two seamers for the first time this tour by finding the edges of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill as India stumbled to 33 for three.

But Joe Root’s drop to reprieve Rohit on 27 was a sliding doors moment as the opener added another 104 before falling to Wood, who finished with three for 69 and ran out the lively Sarfaraz Khan on debut.

Jadeja made a princely 110 not out on his return from a hamstring injury but England might have snared both centurions had they reviewed shortly before they reached three figures on a chastening day which finished with India on 326 for five.

Despite Ben Stokes calling incorrectly at the toss on his 100th Test, the early morning moisture aided England’s bowlers and they capitalised by leaving India three down inside the first nine overs.

As temperatures rose in Gujarat and the pitch gradually flattened out, Rohit, Jadeja then Sarfaraz, who contributed 62 off just 66 balls, helped India wrestle control as they added 151 in the last session.

England’s quicks shared new-ball duties and were punished for overpitching but Wood adjusted and gained some extra bounce and a hint of movement as he angled across Jaiswal, a double centurion in Vizag who made 10 as a tentative poke caught the edge and was gobbled up by Root at first slip.

Gill looked ill-at-ease and departed for a nine-ball duck in Wood’s next over after playing inside the line and nicking off, having been beaten through the gate by the previous delivery.

When Tom Hartley found grip and turn from an innocuous length in his first over, Rajat Patidar miscued to cover on five.

Jadeja was shuffled up one place to spare Sarfaraz a baptism of fire but the debutant might have walked in with India on 47 for four had a diving Root held on when Rohit edged an attempted flick off Hartley.

Root’s drop seemed inconsequential when Rohit was given lbw off James Anderson three balls later but an inside edge saw the decision overturned. Having been sconed on the grill by a spiteful Wood lifter and left needing treatment after inside edging on to his thigh, Rohit was struggling but hanging in there.

As the surface became more docile under the beating hot sun, he and Jadeja made hay either side of lunch, with Rohit surviving a tight lbw call on 49 to move to his first Test 50 in nine innings.

He cast off the shackles by depositing both Hartley and Root over long-on as England toiled without reward in a wicketless middle session.

A sinking feeling may have pervaded for the tourists after they failed to review a muted lbw appeal when Rohit missed a sweep on 87. While the ball might have brushed Rohit’s glove, it definitely thudded into his forearm and would have gone on to crash into leg stump.

Third umpire Rod Tucker was spared a tricky decision and Rohit brought up his century after tea before looking to turn the screw, perishing when a full-blooded heave took a top-edge and was caught by Stokes. The Durham pair celebrated wildly after ending a 204-run union but it was brief respite.

Jadeja was strong all around the wicket and especially off his hips, getting a short-arm pull off Wood to go the distance, before offering his first chance on 93. Hartley seemed to beat the inside edge with one that skidded on and the ball would have gone on to clatter middle stump.

Sarfaraz, who was drafted in for his international bow with a lofty first-class average of 69.85, poured salt into the wound as India moved through the gears. The 26-year-old was not overawed by the occasion, handling England’s spinners with ease and driving superbly.

He moved briskly to a 48-ball 50 but he was left high and dry when his partner was on 99. Setting off for a single which would have taken Jadeja to three figures, Sarfaraz was sent back and left well short of his crease following Wood’s direct hit.

There were muted celebrations when Jadeja reached his hundred just before stumps but his contribution helped India gain control.

Ferny Hollow will not make his long-awaited return to action in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran on Saturday due to the going.

The Willie Mullins-trained gelding was at one stage amongst the most exciting horses in training, winning the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham by two and half lengths in 2020.

He ran just the once over hurdles, winning a maiden ahead of Bob Olinger, and over a year later he returned to the track to start his chasing career in December 2021.

His debut over fences was a four-length Punchestown victory, after which he landed the Grade One Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown before injury intervened.

Now a nine-year-old, Ferny Hollow was entered to make his comeback at the weekend –  some 783 days after his last start.

The ground at Gowran is heavy, however, and connections have therefore decided this weekend will not be right opportunity to reintroduce the horse to the racecourse.

Chris Richardson, managing director of owners Cheveley Park Stud, said: “He’s not running because of the ground.

“I know that Willie was hoping to run him but obviously he’s been off a while, he has had a lot of issues over the last year or two.

“We’re just creeping back towards a run so we’ll see what happens, but at this point in time it’s not quite going to happen.”

Emma Lavelle says it would be “pretty cool” if Paisley Park manages to get his head in front in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle next month.

The popular 12-year-old will be running in the race for an incredible sixth time, and it will be his seventh appearance in all at the Festival. He won the race back in 2019 and finished third behind Flooring Porter in both 2021 and 2022.

While his career looked to be coming to an end when unplaced last year, he has been beaten in three tight finishes this term, including when narrowly denied by Crambo, one of the favourites for the Stayers’, in bidding for a remarkable fourth win in Ascot’s Long Walk Hurdle.

“Touch wood he’s in great form, he had an easy week after the Cleeve and he’s back cantering away now,” said Lavelle.

“He’s had a little stride along the last couple of days and he thinks he’s King Kong, which I suppose is a good thing!

“There’s been nothing between him and Crambo or him and Noble Yeats who we had to give 6lb to (in the Cleeve Hurdle), and they are much shorter than him in the betting.

“There’s a lot of horses we’ve come up against already that are in the race and there are a few new ones, but if he brings his A-game, you’d have to hope he’d be in the shake up anyway.

“We love him to bits, but he doesn’t half put you through the ringer! He builds you up then sometimes he thinks ‘OK’, then sometimes he just thinks ‘nah, it’s not working for me today’. He’s extraordinary.”

She went on: “People say to me ‘will this be his last run at Cheltenham?’, but at the end of the day only he will decide. Look at where we were after the Stayers’ last year, it’s hard to believe he’s had three runs in two Grade Twos and a Grade One and and the combined distance he’s been beaten is less than a neck.

“Some of the horses he’s running against weren’t even born when he won his first Long Walk, like Paul Nicholls’ (Blueking D’Oroux), it’s ridiculous.

“If he was to win it would be pretty cool, but that’s his problem at the moment, he’s going racing and everyone is cheering him and telling him they love him so he thinks he’s won, we have to remind him he’s finished second!”

Tiger Woods believes the PGA Tour does not need to strike a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in a move which could end golf’s civil war.

PGA Tour players will benefit from equity of more than £1.1billion after the US-based circuit secured an investment deal with Strategic Sports Group (SSG).

The deal also allows for a future “co-investment” from the PIF, which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf league, but Woods has joined Jordan Spieth in suggesting that may no longer be necessary.

An initial “framework agreement” between the PIF, PGA Tour and DP World Tour was announced on June 6 last year and had a deadline of December 31, but that was subsequently extended.

“Ultimately we would like to have PIF be a part of our tour and a part of our product,” Woods said in a press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational, his first tournament of 2024.

“Financially, we don’t right now, and the monies that they have come to the table with and what we initially had agreed to in the framework agreement, those are all the same numbers.

“Anything beyond this is going to be obviously over and above.”

Asked if he had a sense of what PIF’s ultimate goal was, Woods added: “From what their representatives have discussed with us, yes and no, because that changes and that evolves from a few months ago to what it is currently now.

“I don’t know if it’s good or bad, it’s an ongoing, fluid process.”

Woods was one of six PGA Tour player-directors who voted unanimously in favour of the deal with SSG, a consortium of US-based investors which includes Boston Red Sox and Liverpool owner John Henry.

“The consortium that they have at SSG, the partners that have come together to be a part of this group is quite remarkable to be honest with you in the sports industry,” the 15-time major winner said.

“They’re unbelievable leaders. At the time that we need great leadership going forward, I think this elicits that.”

Nico de Boinville knows Constitution Hill’s electrifying jumping leaves “no margin for error” – particularly in the white-hot cauldron of the Unibet Champion Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson’s star is chasing a second successive win in the race having demolished State Man by nine lengths last year.

There are those who feel State Man has enjoyed a better preparation this term, and he has won four Grade Ones since that reverse while Constitution Hill has only been seen once since April.

However, De Boinville has full faith that Henderson is the right man for getting a horse to peak on the big day.

“I couldn’t have been happier with him at Kempton. State Man has gone and done what he does on that side of the Irish Sea, but there are still four weeks to go and you are just keeping all fingers crossed,” De Boinville told talkSPORT2.

“I’ve been going there before with the likes of Altior and at the last minute things go wrong, so you are just hoping everything goes right and we have a very good prep.”

Regarding his mount’s incredible jumping technique he went on: “You really do feel like there’s no margin for error because you are going so fast, you are literally just clipping the top bar. You are going very, very quick and there will be no exception in the Champion Hurdle, it’s going to be run at a very good pace and hopefully the right horse wins.

“He’s (Henderson) definitely not one to doubt. If the weather hadn’t stopped us, he would have had two runs and no one would be saying anything as he’d have gone to the Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdle, so ultimately we were stopped because of the weather.

“Hopefully he’ll be busy enough in the spring, you can go to Aintree and Punchestown after Cheltenham if he comes through it well.”

Henderson and De Boinville enjoyed a good day at Newbury on Saturday when Iberico Lord won the feature Betfair Hurdle, but perhaps more importantly Shishkin booked his Gold Cup ticket with a straightforward win after an interrupted season.

De Boinville said: “It was very encouraging. I heard someone refer to him as an inconsistent horse, but I tend to disagree with that. Once he sets off he tends to put up really good runs and more often than not he’s somewhere near the winner’s enclosure.

“I had no doubts on Saturday, from the point I got on him in the paddock he was raring to go and wanted to get on with it. As soon as I lined up he was happy, the tapes went up and away he went.

“I was happy with him, he took a good blow as well so it was a really good prep race for him going towards the Gold Cup.

“One thing that Shishkin does do is finish strong, over three miles or two. He’s quirky in a sense that he can race behind the bridle, race lazily and the suddenly pick it up again, you just have to keep encouraging him forward.

“I think he’s best of the British. I’m looking forward to seeing what L’Homme Presse does at Ascot, but Galopin Des Champs definitely sets the standard, I’d like to think we’d definitely serve it up to him.”

Mark Wood took a couple of wickets on his recall but England were blunted by India’s steady hands of Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja on the opening day of the third Test in Rajkot.

Left out at Visakhapatnam, Wood returned as England picked two seamers for the first time in the series and he snared Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill after Ben Stokes had lost the toss on his 100th Test.

Tom Hartley dismissed Rajat Patidar as India lurched to 33 for three, with the suspicion some early-morning moisture was responsible for aiding bowling conditions on what was expected to be a flat pitch.

But as temperatures rose in Gujarat and the surface gradually flattened out, Rohit and Jadeja steadied the ship with an unbroken 152-run stand as India went to tea on 185 for three.

Rohit was dropped on 27 off Hartley – and overturned an lbw shout off James Anderson three balls later – but he absorbed the pressure and found a willing ally in Jadeja. India’s captain thumped 11 fours and two meaty straight sixes off Hartley to go to tea on 97 not out.

Jadeja, meanwhile, was unbeaten on 68 on his return from a hamstring injury to help lead the recovery when India found themselves in deep trouble as the series, level at 1-1, resumed after a 10-day break.

England’s quicks shared the new ball and were both punished for overpitching but Wood hit his stride to see off Jaiswal. A double centurion in Vizag, there is a suspicion Jaiswal is more susceptible to express pace and bounce and his tentative poke caught the outside edge and carried to Joe Root.

Wood was agonisingly close to Gill’s off-stump after beating the inside edge in his next over. Perhaps unsettled by that, India’s number three played inside the line to the next ball and nicked off.

India were three down inside nine overs as Hartley struck in his opening instalment. It was an innocuous delivery but the ball appeared to stick in the surface and turned sharply, with Patidar miscuing a looping catch to cover.

Rather than expose debutant Sarfaraz Khan, Jadeja moved up one place to partner another old-stager in Rohit, who was hit on the grill by a spiteful Wood lifter.

India’s captain was then reprieved after an intended flick caught the edge and whizzed to Root, who could not cling on to a tough chance at slip.

Rohit was then saved by an inside edge after being given out lbw off Anderson – three balls later – and after weathering some sustained pressure, Rohit and Jadeja restored some calm.

Rohit was characteristically fluent through the leg-side, tucking off his hips and legs, and survived an lbw shout off Hartley on 49 to reach his first Test 50 in nine innings. His lean patch has followed India’s World Cup final defeat but any building pressure has been eased by this knock.

Hartley toiled through 17 overs at one end – only interrupted by one from Rehan Ahmed just before lunch – as Anderson and Wood took it in turns at the other. Anderson was surgical and found a hint of reverse, while Wood bounded in but both were unrewarded for their endeavours.

Jadeja was at first content to be the junior partner in the union but he reached an important 50 on his home ground before tea.

There were muted appeals when Rohit, on 87, missed a sweep off Rehan, who was retained after a visa problem earlier in the week.

While it was inconclusive whether the ball had caught any of the glove, it definitely hit his forearm and would have gone on to thud into the stumps but England did not review.

Cyriel Dessers spoke of a growing “connection” with James Tavernier after the Rangers skipper set him up for a double in the 3-1 cinch Premiership win over Ross County on Wednesday night.

The Gers striker latched on to a pass from Tavernier after only five minutes at Ibrox to lob Staggies goalkeeper George Wickens and get the home side off to a flying start.

Philippe Clement’s men required a three-goal win against second-bottom County to go above leaders Celtic but they passed up several chances to stretch their lead – Dessers hit the post with one attempt – before Simon Murray levelled against the run of play.

Dessers grabbed his second from a Tavernier cross just before the break but there were more opportunities passed up in the second-half before defender John Souttar headed in a third, again from a delivery from the Ibrox captain, in the second of seven added minutes

Despite 23 shots on target, Rangers could only finish the game with three goals and although they moved level with Celtic on 61 points and on goal difference, they have scored four goals fewer to keep them second.

Dessers, who has now scored 14 goals this season, noted the contribution of the Light Blues’ right-back, saying: “It’s the small things, sometimes we just need eye contact to know what we’re doing.

“That’s the connection you work on in training and games and obviously, those things were not there in August or September, these things are growing and these goals are a good example but also it happened in December.

“Tav gets the balls there  – it’s the job of the striker to finish them.”

Rangers were seven points behind Celtic last October when Clement took over from Michael Beale but the Belgian boss has rejuvenated the club.

Clement has already brought the Viaplay Cup back to Ibrox and the Light Blues are in the last-16 of the Europa League.

Rangers have won seven in a row since the winter break and as the chase of Celtic in the title race continues – and the Gers take on Hibernian in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup – Dessers looked forward with optimism as he noted the appreciation of the fans who are becoming increasingly excited about their side’s performances.

He said: “The team and me are in a good place.

“Everyone is scoring and contributing and you also feel the atmosphere, especially in the last games, it’s becoming a little extra compared to the games before.

“We as players feel that as well. That’s really positive, a huge thing which can be a boost for the next 13 games in the league and hopefully that can make the difference.

“Obviously it is a good feeling to get recognition from the fans, it means I have been doing things well.

“Especially for a striker, it’s all in the package of the team.

“It’s a nice feeling and I think there is a really positive vibe in the stadium and the training ground.

“We’re in a good place and want to keep this going. Not just in the locker room but with the fans and we are on a good way with that.”

Bayern Munich have condemned the racist abuse directed at Dayot Upamecano following their Champions League defeat at Lazio on Wednesday.

France defender Upamecano was sent off in the 67th minute after conceding a penalty, which Ciro Immobile converted for Lazio’s 1-0 round of 16 first-leg win.

“FC Bayern strongly condemn the racist comments being directed towards Dayot Upamecano on social media,” the German champions said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Anyone who comments hateful words such as these is no fan of our club. We’re all behind you, Upa!”

Upamecano’s red card means the 25-year-old will miss the second leg in Munich on March 5.

Bayern’s defeat increased the pressure on former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel after Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen saw them fall five points behind Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga leaders.

Tuchel’s side also suffered a shock second-round German Cup exit to third division minnows Saarbrucken in November.

What the papers say

Wolves may look to sell star winger Pedro Neto this summer to avoid breaching profit and sustainability rules, with several papers reporting the Midlands outfit are willing to do business. Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United are interested in the 23-year-old, who has scored two goals with eight assists in 15 games this season.

Barcelona have shown interest in Manchester City and England winger Lauren Hemp with her contract set to expire in summer and reports of uncertainty over her future at the club, the Standard says. Hemp has scored seven goals with five assists this season.

The Guardian says Crystal Palace are looking at former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner to replace Roy Hodgson if they decide to part ways with the veteran manager, while the Telegraph says former Chelsea manager Graham Potter could replace David Moyes at West Ham.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Michael Olise: Palace will be in a battle to keep their 22-year-old winger with 90min reporting Manchester United are showing interest in the French under-21 international.

Lucas Paqueta: The West Ham midfielder with two goals and five assists in 18 games in the Premier League is on Manchester City’s radar, Football Insider says.

Mark Wood vindicated his England recall with the wickets of in-form India batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill on a lively opening morning of the third Test.

Left out at Visakhapatnam, Wood returned as England selected two seamers for the first time in this series in Rajkot and he took the edges of two batters who had passed three figures last time out.

Wood also sconed Rohit Sharma on the helmet with a spiteful lifter while what was expected to be the flattest pitch so far played against type as Tom Hartley found grip and turn to dismiss Rajat Patidar.

Joe Root spilled a tough chance when Rohit was on 27 while the India captain overturned an lbw verdict off James Anderson three balls later before going to lunch unbeaten on 52 in India’s 93 for three.

Ravindra Jadeja shuffled up the order on his return from injury and restored calm after India lurched from 22 for none to 33 for three after Ben Stokes had called incorrectly at the toss on his 100th Test.

There was initially little to trouble India’s openers as the series, level at 1-1, resumed after a 10-day break. But while Jaiswal made a sparkling double century in Vizag, there is a perception he struggles against express pace and he poked uncertainly to his second delivery off Wood and perished.

Wood was tantalisingly close to Gill’s off-stump in his following over after finding some inward movement. Perhaps spooked by that, India’s number three played inside the line and feathered the next ball through to Ben Foakes on his 31st birthday as Wood collected his second wicket in six balls.

Rajat Patidar was undone by the surface as Hartley’s innocuous delivery in his first over held up before turning sharply and led to a withdrawn cut shot that caught the bat and looped gently to cover.

Rather than expose debutant Sarfaraz Khan, Jadeja moved up one place to partner Rohit, who had looked unflustered at the other end but was hit flush on his grill by the excellent Wood.

He disrupted Hartley’s lengths with a counteroffensive but, seeking a third four in an over, a whip across the line took the edge and flew to Root, who was unable to react quickly enough to the chance.

The umpire’s finger went up when Anderson thudded into Rohit’s pad but the opener was saved by an inside edge on review. Rohit and Jadeja (24 not out) settled from that point on and there were few further alarms in the rest of the session.

Norman Powell hit four 3-pointers over the final 7:03 and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from 12 down in the fourth quarter to end the Golden State Warriors’ five-game winning streak, 130-125 on Wednesday.

James Harden had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Paul George scored 24 points before fouling out as the Clippers won their fifth straight on the road despite missing Kawhi Leonard, who sat out with a left leg injury.

Stephen Curry scored 41 points and went 9 for 19 from 3-point range and became the first player in NBA history to make at least seven 3s in four straight games. He notched his sixth 40-point game of the season.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was denied his 500th regular season win and Golden State suffered just its second loss in the last nine games.

The Clippers had lost six straight on the Warriors’ home floor.

Surging Celtics rip Nets

Payton Pritchard scored 28 points and Derrick White had 27 as the Boston Celtics pounded the Brooklyn Nets 136-86 for their sixth straight win and a sweep of their home-and-home series.

Jayson Tatum added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the Celtics gave coach Joe Mazzulla his 100th victory.

Boston, which enters the All-Star break with a league-best 43-12 record, made 22 of 44 from 3-point range and won by at least 50 points for the fifth time in team history.

The Celtics won their 10th in the last 11 meetings against the Nets, who have lost five of six overall.

Irving keeps Mavericks red hot

Kyrie Irving had 34 points and Luka Dončić added 27 before leaving early in the fourth quarter as the streaking Dallas Mavericks rallied for a 116-93 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Doncic, who also had nine rebounds and eight assists in 31 minutes, left three minutes into the fourth holding his neck. A team spokesman said the Dallas superstar received treatment.

The Mavs erased a 15-point deficit to win their season-high sixth straight.

Victor Wembanyama scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half and grabbed nine rebounds as the Spurs lost for the eighth time in nine games.

League One Bradford claimed another Premier League scalp to book their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 39 years on this day in 2015.

Billy Clarke’s deflected third-minute effort – which went down as a John O’Shea own goal – and a cool 61st-minute finish from Jon Stead saw the Bantams build on their stunning fourth-round win over Chelsea by dispatching Gus Poyet’s Sunderland 2-0 with embarrassing ease.

From Clarke’s effort on, the underdogs seized control of the game in front of a sell-out Valley Parade crowd of over 24,000 and heaped more woe on a Black Cats side struggling in the top flight.

At times it seemed like throwback football – a frenetic pace, a muddy pitch cutting up more by the minute, a pair of players swathed in thick white headbands after an early head clash, and a controversial lack of television cameras present to show the action live.

The roar released by the home fans at the final whistle could probably be heard in the offices of TV executives across the land as Phil Parkinson’s men confirmed their richly deserved place in the last eight for the first time since 1976.

Parkinson said at the time: “There was always a danger that, because we beat Chelsea, everyone would expect us to win today, and we had to guard against that and go in there with the underdog mentality.

“Right from the first whistle we played with great desire and great spirit and we were first to every ball all over the pitch.

“Today is another terrific day and, to have Valley Parade full of 24,000 fans, it’s like a throwback. The lads were absolutely revelling in it and they deserve the support because of their performances and the effort they have put in over the years.”

Bradford’s run was ended in the last eight by Reading, with the sides drawing 0-0 in the first match before the Royals won the replay 3-0.