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.  And a few weeks later, a valiant effort against Bolton, left us just the width of a crossbar away from perhaps extra-time and penalties.

Yes, there’s a small part of us all that wanted more. Because, well, why not?

But what’s to say we won’t be back next season?

We’ve been so remarkably consistent since Graham Alexander took over. For a club that became far too obsessed with chopping and changing managers, he’s now the 21st longest serving in the EFL. Long may that continue.

We hardly dropped out of the top-six during the entirety of the season just gone.

Yes, from the moment a ball was kicked against Wycombe back in August, with the exception of the 0-0 draw at Northampton at the second-game this season, we never left the top-six.

And many fans have rightly pointed out that over each of the three seasons that Alexander has managed us, we’ve managed to go into the final day with something to play for.

So as we now know our fate and that we’ll be in League One next season, it’s worth thinking about what comes next, how we can try to go one better, and why we should be hopeful based on all the above.

But let’s look at some other teams first, to give us an idea of what is possible.

There’s two ways you respond to a play-off campaign

Let’s start with Stockport way, or the Leyton Orient way.

One finished third and made the play-off final (ultimately falling short). The other finished 20th and avoided the drop on the final day.

Yet both clubs played each other in a play-off semi final last year.

Many were surprised at Orient’s incredible run of form that took them into the play-offs at the close of last season.

A run which carried them past a heavily fancied Stockport County side, and agonisingly miss out in a London derby against Charlton at Wembley.

But this season? Orient have struggled, badly. Credit where it’s due to them for keeping their manager in place, a good EFL coach who will no doubt have them competing again next year.

Bar the emergence of Dom Ballard as a very impressive striker; they lost key players like Ethan Galbraith who have stepped up to the Championship, and have suffered as a result.

The thing is, if we were to lose say players like Metcalfe, Neufville or Pointon to the Championship this summer, we’d have a very hard time replacing them and likely struggle.

Stockport on the other hand? A poor comparison in some ways as they have loads of cash.

But it wasn’t too long ago since they were in the National League North of course, playing away at Bradford Park Avenue. And also in League Two with us during our last play-off campaign.

They’ve missed out on promotion, sure, to a very good Bolton Wanderers side. Many of us may have felt we could have beaten them at Wembley. But the truth? They have an extremely good squad, and their manager has taken them up a level every season. And after all, we’re another club enjoying constant progression.

A club on the up, with work to do

That’s right, this is our highest ever League finish since being relegated in the 2003/04 season from Old Division 1 (or as we know it today, the Championship).

Of course, in Alexander’s first season we narrowly missed out on play-off football. And the 24/25 season of course brought promotion.

For a generation of City fans who have never seen Championship football, this represents our most successful campaign in League terms, for well over two decades.

To do that after being promoted? Genuinely unthinkable. But we’ve done it.

As Port Vale go back down to League Two. AFC Wimbledon narrowly survived the drop and Doncaster finished 14th, we are not just the only team to finish in the top-half of the division, but also finished in the top-half of the play-offs for the first time in our history.

But if we want to enjoy success again next season, we need to have a very strong transfer window indeed.

We must learn from clubs like Bolton, who won promotion largely based on the loanees they brought in. Although our model is to have talented permanent players, it’s fair to say that the impressive Cozier-Duberry almost single-handedly took them up. Add to that the likes of Maston Burstow, Johnny Kenny and others on loan, with admittedly some big permanent transfers, it’s no surprise they were up there.

But we can do it, too. We’ve achieved a lot with a very well organised squad and budget. We have a good team that’s been well coached and understands what it is doing.

There’s been a lot of commentary recently about Arsenal’s Premier League success, and how that’s been many years in the making. The fact is that Arteta has a style of football, with key players who he has built around for many years. Remind you of something?

We have the chance to do the same with the likes of Josh Neufville, Tyreik Wright, Jenson Metcalfe and Bobby Pointon who are our younger players, mixed with our more experienced pros such as Antoni Sarcevic, Max Power, Kayden Jackson and Ibou Touray.

But we must also bring in a handful of really strong players this summer. We cannot accept having any players in and around the squad to make up numbers. Strength in depth has proved to be our Achilles heel at times, and we have to ensure we are properly investing in this squad, including a big number nine who can really make the most of our ability down both wings.

A big few months lie ahead, and have no doubt, this club will be ready for it.

And why is that?

Well, as we’re going into the Summer, it’s time to end on a very optimistic note about where Bradford City has got to.

If the club continues to build in the way it has of late, the sky’s the limit. There’s no reason why not to be knocking on the door of the Premier League, or in the top-end of the Championship in a few years time.

Clubs with far fewer initial resources, infrastructure and fans have managed it. They’ve built over time. Bournemouth just narrowly missed out on Champions League football. Brighton managed to also secure a spot in Europe again. And Brentford have also challenged all season.

Sure, all have wealthy owners now. But it was not too long ago since they were down in the doldrums. For all we had our Premier League moment, they have become established forces to be reckoned with. Each were once regular fixtures on a League One and Two table.

Coventry City are now back in the Premier League after following a very similar path to ourselves. Relegations. Stadium woes. League Two.

They’ve arguably had a far more turbulent time over the last decade. But now they’ve cemented themselves as a very solid Championship club, with extremely impressive recruitment and investment to match.

Luton have of course been up and down recently. Huddersfield in the past decade. Ipswich are back in the Premier League once again after falling down to League One a few years ago. Football is a funny sport when you have something that’s working, and anything is possible.

The truth is that we have started on a very different path over the last couple of seasons to the one we once knew. Our club functions properly. We recruit well (generally, a few January signings aside) and have a plan for who we want to bring in. We also do so early. That makes a big, big difference.

There’s an identity on the pitch as mentioned earlier and real identity that is being formed off it and is very exciting. Everything runs in a much more PR friendly way (our newest home kit being announced at Wembley being a great example of that).

We have a growing fanbase and new interest in the club. We are starting to attract overseas attention. We are a solid League One side once again. So, there’s no reason why we can’t be knocking on the door of the Premier League in four to five years’ time. That should be the aim. Not just promotion next season, but trying to build for something bigger. Because we’ve got a stadium that’s quickly filling up, bars and pubs that are bouncing every weekend and a team that’s genuinely exciting to watch.

Yes, this is all lofty, perhaps even too far. But as football fans we should be dreamers. As a club, we must be ambitious. And ultimately, what good is existing without a plan? Just don’t discount our potential. This is a big club. From kits to catering, season ticket sales to squad recruitment and managerial retention through to matchday experiences, we have actually got the competent club that many of us have longed for over so many years.

Many of us gave fair criticism over what we saw as the club’s lack of plan, strategy and vision since we were relegated into League Two. But it is fair to say that there’s a lot of happy fans around Valley Parade these days. So as we go into the summer, just remember this:

We aren’t just in League One to have a good time. We’re there to compete, and we’ve proven we can do so with any club in this division. Is there any club we can’t beat?

We’ve defied the odds with a play-off campaign in our first season back. What’s to say we can’t do it again, or go one better?

We’ve got a squad that’s signed-up to an identity, and we know exactly what we need to take it further. So why don’t we go out and do that?

This season’s been great. But next? Get ready for it, because it could be the biggest yet.

Categories: Opinion

Tags: BCAFC