Bradford eye another upset in final

LONDON (AP):

Having dispatched three Premier League teams on a fairy-tale march to Wembley, Bradford must beat another on Sunday if the fourth-tier side are to win the League Cup and complete one of English football's most remarkable feats.

Bradford have achieved notoriety for all the wrong reasons in their recent past, with a fire at their stadium killing 56 fans in 1985 and the club twice entering administration - a form of bankruptcy protection - following relegation from the Premier League in 2001.

However, the unheralded side nicknamed 'The Bantams' have gripped a nation by eliminating Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa to become the first fourth-division club in 51 years to reach the League Cup final.

Only Swansea, managed by Denmark great Michael Laudrup, now stand in the way of Bradford and a place in Europe next season - an achievement beyond the players' wildest dreams.

"I was watching the Europa League the other night - Liverpool were playing (Zenit St Petersburg) in Russia, and I sat there thinking, 'That could be us next season!'" Bradford captain Gary Jones said. "Just imagine playing Inter Milan on the Thursday and Dagenham on the Sunday . It's too unbelievable for words but that shows you what we have achieved."

It'll be a huge day for Swansea, too.

never appeared in final

While Bradford have a major trophy in their cabinet after winning the FA Cup in 1911, the Welsh team has never appeared in the final of a top competition in its 100-year history. Swansea have also experienced financial strife as recently as 10 years ago when the club almost fell out of the Football League.

They are now at home in the top flight, playing some of the most eye-catching brands of football in Britain, but it wasn't always the case.

"For some of the lads, the boot was on the other foot," said midfielder Leon Britton, who has risen through the leagues with Swansea. "We were the team trying to beat the higher-division teams."

The final will overshadow another important weekend of Premier League action, topped by Chelsea's trip to Manchester City and the visit of leaders Manchester United to bottom side Queens Park Rangers.

chelsea could take second

United hold a 12-point advantage over City in a title race that could well be over by the end of April, given the supreme form shown by Alex Ferguson's side, who are unbeaten in 14 league games. Chelsea are four points further back in third and could yet reel in City for second place.

"We have to treat these games as we would Real Madrid or anyone else," Ferguson said yesterday of the game against QPR. "It has to be won. We want to win.

"My experience of being in this situation is that teams drop points. That's a fact. It's unavoidable. It's a tough league. At the moment we have good momentum."

Whatever happens in the Premier League is unlikely to knock Bradford out of the spotlight, though.

Languishing in mid-table in England's lowest professional league, Bradford manager Phil Parkinson has somehow managed to eke out a string of stunning displays from a team filled with journeymen players and aspiring youngsters. There's a cancer survivor in goalkeeper Matt Duke, and a striker in James Hanson who was stacking shelves in a supermarket three years ago.

"It just shows if you keep working hard then anything can happen," said Hanson.

The cup run has galvanised a northern city brought to its knees because of the economic recession and a club recovering from severe financial hardship brought on by reckless spending that failed to prevent demotion from the top flight 12 years ago.