BRADFORD CITY HAVE been the major surprise package of this season’s FA Cup, and Cork’s Billy Clarke has played a significant role.
The League One club dumped another Premier League side out of the competition yesterday to book their place in the quarter-finals, for which the draw will be made this evening.
After putting four goals past Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup fourth round, Bradford continued their dream run at Valley Parade over the weekend with a 2-0 defeat of Sunderland.
Clarke helped Bradford into a third-minute lead yesterday, when his slightly wayward strike was deflected in to the Sunderland net by fellow Irishman John O’Shea.
“I must have been aiming for someone in the crowd. I was in the right position but I did screw it a bit wide,” Clarke told The42 today.
“Own goal or not, it’s still a big contribution that I’m delighted with and it got us off to a really good start.”
Jon Stead’s second-half goal sealed the win for Bradford, who also had Athlone native Alan Sheehan on the bench.
Clarke said: “To knock out another Premier League team, to play as well as we did and kind of dominate the game really, it was incredible. It was just another great day to be involved in.”
Bradford are the only team from outside England’s top two divisions to have booked their place in the last eight — although Preston will be aiming to shock Manchester United tonight — and Clarke says it’s simply down to hard work.
“It was the same in the Chelsea game really. We knew that if we ran further than Sunderland yesterday and worked harder than them, we’d have a chance.
“We’ve got good players. The manager told us not to give them time on the ball and to chase them down. I think the second goal really showed that. We got in their faces and forced them to make errors.
“We’ve got a lot of quality, and we know that’ll shine through as long as we work hard, first and foremost. That’s exactly the way it worked out.”
During a ten-year professional career in the UK, Clarke has also played for the likes of Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Blackpool. But this is his longest FA Cup run so far.
Along with being a member of the Blackpool squad that won the Championship play-off final in 2010 to reach the Premier League, Clarke unsurprisingly ranks Bradford’s FA Cup wins over Chelsea and Sunderland as his career highlights.
As for this evening’s FA Cup quarter-final draw, the 27-year-old attacker is happy to take anyone at home, although the Clarke clan at home on the northside of Cork city want another one of the big guns.
“My family are Liverpool fans so they’ll probably be hoping for Anfield. But if we get anyone at our stadium, with the atmosphere that was there yesterday, it would be incredible again for the city and the club.”
Clarke has led a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, with Bradford the tenth club he’s played for since leaving Leeside at the age of 16. He joined the Bantams on a two-year deal last summer after two seasons with Crawley Town.
But the former Irish U21 international has been enjoying life in Yorkshire, and the plan is for it to become home on a long-term basis for him, his fiancée and their five-year-old son.
“It’s been great here so far,” said Clarke, who has played 27 times this season for Bradford. The team are currently in ninth place in League One — two points outside the play-offs.
“Everyone knows Crawley is not really a big club — they’ve a small following and stuff — so to come to Bradford, with the history they have and the size of the club, it’s been really enjoyable.
“The passion the fans have for the club is incredible. It was a full house yesterday and the atmosphere was absolutely unbelievable.
“Hopefully we can get into the play-offs. I’ve got my family up here and everyone has settled in really well, so yeah, getting promoted and staying here is the plan.”
Originally published at 16.12
