Phil Parkinson returns to his former club Bradford for only the second time this Saturday. The Wrexham boss had a historic spell with the Bantams, beating a number of Premier League clubs in several cup upsets.
Wrexham travel to West Yorkshire this weekend for a Saturday 3:00PM kick-off against Bradford City. The Reds are currently fifth in League Two with 23 points, but crucially, just three points off league leaders Stockport.
Bradford, meanwhile, are 11th in League Two after recently sacking former Wales boss Mark Hughes. Player-caretaker manager Kevin McDonald has stepped into the Bantams hotseat and has won three straight, including back-to-back wins in the league.
Phil Parkinson returns to Bradford for only the second time since ‘history-making’ five-year spell
Saturday’s clash will be particularly notable as it is only the second time Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has returned to his former club.
Parkinson enjoyed a ‘history-making’ near five-year spell at the club, taking over in 2011 before departing for Bolton Wanderers in 2016.
During his time with the Bantams, Parkinson led Bradford to the League Cup final and promotion to League One. Parkinson made a number of scalps during his tenure, which included beating Arsenal in the League Cup quarter-finals before overcoming Aston Villa 4-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals to advance to the final at Wembley – which they lost to Swansea.
His Bradford team also had a historic 4–2 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge in 2015. It is the only time a team ever overcame a 2–0 deficit at Stamford Bridge to win during the reign of José Mourinho.
Parkinson eventually left the club in 2016 to join Bolton Wanderers, who had just been relegated to League One.
The Wrexham boss on his Bantams return
Parkinson has been back to Valley Parade once since leaving the club. Parkinson’s Bolton side came from two-nil down to draw 2-2 at Bradford in February 2017.
On the eve of his second return to Bradford, Parkinson reflected on his time in West Yorkshire.
“I’m really looking forward to going back to Valley Parade,” he said.
“My memories of being at Bradford are the big crowds and atmosphere and this weekend’s going to be no different to that.
“Everyone knows the potential support at Bradford and it’s amazing. It’s going to be a cracking game between two good sides. Bradford have got a bit of momentum from the last three games and we’re in decent form.
“I’ve only been back the once and can’t wait to be there again.
“Bradford played a big part in mine and my family’s lives.
“I used to drive into Bradford and see the ground from the distance. It was always special every single match day and I was very proud to be manager.
“Our kids followed the team home and away when we were there and there are so many incredible memories of the cup games and promotion and establishing the club at the top end of League One.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing some people I haven’t seen for a long time. But we’ll do everything we can to get the points.”
Wrexham and Bradford have already played each other this season, squaring off in the EFL Cup on August 29th. Mark Hughes was still in charge at the time, and guided the Bantams to a 4-3 win on penalties after the teams teams played out a 1-1 draw in normal time.
No doubt Parkinson and the boys will be looking to avenge that loss on Saturday.