Bradford City captain Max Power has urged the club to keep progressing rather than becoming complacent after their painful League One play-off semi-final defeat to Bolton Wanderers. Although the loss at Valley Parade ended their hopes of promotion, the atmosphere following the final whistle reflected the remarkable bond that has developed between the team and its supporters during an impressive campaign under manager Graham Alexander.
Being eliminated from the play-offs on home soil is often a bitter and unforgiving experience, with disappointed supporters sometimes turning their frustration toward the players. However, Bradford City’s fans reacted very differently after Thursday night’s defeat. Despite the heartbreak of narrowly losing over two legs to Bolton Wanderers, supporters stayed behind to applaud the players and sang passionately in appreciation of the team’s efforts. Chants echoed around Valley Parade as a record play-off crowd of more than 22,000 supporters showed their admiration for what had still been a memorable season.
The result was especially painful because Bradford came close to changing the outcome late in the match. Had a few moments gone in their favour, the tie might have swung their way. Instead, Bolton capitalised on key moments, with goalkeeper Jack Bonham producing an outstanding save to deny Max Power, before substitute Xavier Simons scored the decisive goal that ended Bradford’s season and secured Bolton’s place in the final.
Even so, the campaign represented significant progress for Bradford City. Under Graham Alexander, the club achieved its highest league finish in over two decades and consistently competed with some of the division’s strongest sides. Only eventual promoted teams Lincoln City and Cardiff City recorded more wins in League One. Bradford also earned more points than recently relegated Championship clubs Luton Town and Plymouth Argyle, while comfortably outperforming rivals Huddersfield Town, who had been considered promotion favourites at the start of the season. Compared with other clubs promoted from League Two the previous year, Bradford were well ahead, with Doncaster Rovers finishing 17 points behind them.
Despite the disappointment, Power stressed that the club must now build on this momentum rather than settle for what has already been achieved. Having earned promotion from League One three times during his career with Wigan Athletic, the experienced midfielder understands how difficult sustained progress can be. He emphasised that Bradford have developed a winning mentality over the last 12 to 18 months and insisted everyone connected with the club must continue striving for improvement if they want to challenge for automatic promotion next season.
Power acknowledged that the defeat still felt raw emotionally, but he believes perspective will eventually reveal how much progress the club has made in a relatively short period. He pointed out that many teams expected to dominate the division finished below Bradford, which demonstrates the scale of the achievement and the potential for further growth.
The play-offs, however, continue to be a source of frustration for the midfielder. This latest disappointment marked his third unsuccessful play-off campaign, following previous semi-final defeats with Sunderland AFC. Against Bolton, fortune once again failed to favour him. His curling effort, brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by Bonham, came agonisingly close to bringing Bradford level on aggregate. Moments later, Bolton struck decisively, leaving Power to describe the feeling as “like bursting a balloon.”
Reflecting on the tie, Power believed the two matches were decided by fine margins and individual moments rather than any major difference between the sides. He felt Bradford had controlled large portions of the game before suffering the devastating blow of Bolton’s goal shortly after a Bradford effort had been ruled out. He admitted the loss would take time to recover from, especially after such a demanding season, but remained proud of the team’s efforts and leadership throughout the campaign.
Perhaps the most powerful moment of the night came after the match itself. Instead of anger or frustration, Bradford supporters responded with appreciation, recognising the commitment and determination shown by the players. Power praised both sets of fans and expressed gratitude for the emotional send-off the Bradford squad received. He revealed that before the match he had urged his teammates to leave everything on the pitch and avoid any regrets, and he believed they had done exactly that. The supporters’ reaction, he felt, was proof that the players had earned the respect and admiration of the fanbase, even in defeat.
