16 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?
Reading have been drawn away at Reading legend Phil Parkinson's Bradford City in the quarter finals of the FA Cup. It is Reading's fourth straight away draw in the competition this season. The game will take place on either Saturday 7 March or Sunday 8 March depending on TV schedules.
The League One side have hit the headlines again this season for their success in a cup competition. Two years ago they reached the League Cup final while in League Two, losing to Swansea City at Wembley. This season they have already famously put out Chelsea after coming back from two goals down to win 4-2 at Stamford Bridge. That was followed by another shock as they put out Premier League Sunderland in the last round with a 2-0 home win at Valley Parade.
Based on their cup form, and home advantage, Bradford City will probably go into the fixture as favourites to make it into the semi-finals and another appearance at Wembley Stadium. It is obviously a tough draw for Reading, as they again missed being drawn at home, but it does give the Royals a realistic chance of getting into the last four for only the second time in the history of the club.
Former Reading midfielder, and multiple winner of the player of the season, Parkinson has enjoyed plenty of success at Bradford. He had a mixed managerial career at Colchester, Hull and Charlton before being recruited by the Bantams. He joined at the start of the 2011/2012 season and by December was voted League Two manager of the month. He followed a season of safety with promotion to League One via the play-offs and that amazing League Cup run that included wins over Aston Villa and Arsenal.
This season he has led his team to their FA Cup quarter final meeting with his former club, and has promotion to the Championship in his sights. Bradford are currently just two points outside of the League One play-off positions with two games in hand following their cup run. The FA Cup fixture all set up to be a classic encounter with Parkinson's Reading links and two sides that will be thinking they have a very realistic chance to progress in the competition.
Bradford's route to the quarter finals:
Reading's route to the quarter finals:
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