Width Of A Post

By Jason McKeown That’s it. We’re done for another season, and it’s time for a break. A massive thank you to everyone who has contributed to WOAP this season: Alex Scott, Tim Penfold, Adam Raj, Jake Verity, Gareth Walker, Rob Wade, Dom Calhowie, Alex Lester, Milo Chadowe and Andrew Collinson. Thanks also to John Dewhirst for his amazing photos, which make the site a million times better. John has a new book about the history of Bradford City coming out in the autumn.

By Jake Verity We made the play-offs, yes, the play-offs during our first season back in League One. A huge achievement. Almost improbable really that went from years of stasis in League Two to being on the cusp of the Championship in such a short space of time. For all of us down in Exeter for the final normal league game of the season, it felt like a real moment, one year on since those scenes at Valley Parade against Fleetwood to know that we’ve come so far.

By Jason McKeown Choosing a top five Bradford City players of the season for 2025/26 was really tough. There was no absolute standout performer – because so many players stood out. The bar was exceptionally high. And that means there are City players who enjoyed excellent personal seasons yet still failed to make the top five. In many previous, dismal campaigns, they might have walked away with the Player of the Season award.

A season that had everything deserves a podcast that captures it all. In this bumper special, we relive Bradford City’s unforgettable campaign through the 10 games that defined the journey. From the buzz and optimism of that opening-day victory over Wycombe to the crushing play-off heartbreak against Bolton, Tim Penfold, Alex Scott and Jason McKeown revisit the drama and emotion of a season none of us will forget in a hurry.

Written by Jason McKeown (images by John Dewhirst) The joy usually gives way to pain. Throughout Bradford City’s history, promotion has often been followed by a harsh adjustment to life at a higher level. Their first two promotions brought 18th-place finishes the following season (1908/09 and 1929/30). There was a respectable 10th spot in 1969/70, but also immediate relegation in 1977/78.

By Jason McKeown Bradford City’s titanic play-off tussle with Bolton Wanderers served as both a brilliant marker of how far the club has come and a harsh lesson in how far it still has to go. They huffed, puffed and gave it their all. There were mitigating factors, like injury disruption to their big players. They got close. Really close. But once the dust settled, there was little doubt City were second best across the two legs. That Bolton operated at a level the Bantams must now aspire to reach.

The Width of a Post podcast – Bradford City 0 Bolton 1 sad reaction By Width of a Post on May 16, 2026 • It’s still raw, the beer/cider was needed to soften the blow, but our latest podcast sees Alex Scott and Jason McKeown pick over the bones of Bradford City’s play-off heartbreak. Categories: Podcast Tags: BCAFC

Bradford City 0 Bolton Wanderers 1 Simons 81 Bolton Wanderers win 2-0 on aggregate Written by Jason McKeown (images by John Dewhirst) The emotions are raw and they run deep. There is heartbreak, there is anguish, there is frustration over what-might-have-beens, there are tears and there are sighs. It consumes you, and it will sting for days to come. But eventually those feelings will fade, and what we’ll be left with certainly won’t. Pride. They gave it everything. They did all they could.

By Jake Verity So here we are. 90 minutes. 120 minutes. Or penalties away from a trip to Wembley. Who’d have thought it. Bradford City, promoted in the most dramatic of circumstances on the final day of last season. The final kick of the game. When all seemed down and lost, when it felt like all hope was gone, the ball fell into the back of the Fleetwood net. And tomorrow is an occasion of the same magnitude. In fact, it’s arguably bigger.

By Jason McKeown The hardest part of making sense of Bradford City’s play-off semi-final first leg defeat at Bolton is that, for now, it exists without full context. It won’t be until after Thursday night’s second leg that we will know how significant the events at the Toughsheet Stadium prove to be in deciding who reaches Wembley. And in this suspended moment, both teams can make a convincing case that the first leg outcome has left them in a strong position.