BRADFORD City’s loyal fans were heartbroken but proud after watching their heroes crash to a late League One Play-Off Final defeat, with many vowing their team would be promoted next year instead.

More than 24,000 Bantams made their way back up the M1 from Wembley after watching their side lose to an 85th-minute strike from Millwall’s Steve Morison.

During the match, the claret and amber army made their voices heard with chants and a poignant minute’s applause in the 56th minute to honour the victims of the Bradford City Fire.

But it was Bradford boys (and girls) making all the noise during the final, with the popular ‘Everywhere We Go’ chant drowning out their Millwall counterparts.

They also teased the south London club’s following by signing ‘We’ll Sing On Our Own’ during the first-half.

See a gallery of City fans at Wembley

City fans, including more than 400 who travelled as part of the Shipley Bantams, were left to reflect on what might have been on the return leg of their 406-mile round trip to north London.

Telegraph & Argus reporter Mark Stanford was onboard one of the Shipley Bantams coaches, where the atmosphere was understandably sombre on the way home, as fans were left to rue missed chances for Stuart McCall’s side.

Nathan Smith, 25, of Shipley, felt pleased with his side’s progression during this campaign after a difficult pre-season.

He said: “The best team lost today.

“It was the same old story for us; we couldn’t finish our chances.

“We had eight players at the beginning of the season, a new manager and owners. People did not expect the play-offs, so it is still a good season.

“We want to be in the top two next season, we don’t want this again. They had one chance and they took it today.”

Mark Lawrence, 53, of Allerton, said: “We started without any team this year. The footballing team lost today.

“It thought it was going to be decided in 90 minutes, and it would not go to extra-time.

“The game could have gone either way.”

Martin Keighley, 59, of Skipton, said: “It depends what we do this summer now, on how we do next year. But we’ve got to go for automatic promotion next season.

“Today was the story of the season for us. We played really, really well. We couldn’t put the ball in the net. We did not deserve to lose today.”

Joe Szalkiewicz, 59, of Wibsey, said: “We played them off the park. But if you don’t shoot, you don’t score.

“I’m 100 per cent proud of the boys. It was a pretty even game. But you can’t have that dominance like we had and not convert it.”

Angela Garbutt, 50, of Baildon, said: “I’m proud and gutted. The players can hold their heads up high, they did their best.

“You can’t knock the players, from where we came from in the summer, it is a great achievement to get to the play-off final.”

Her daughter, Kennedy Garbutt, 24, also of Baildon, was equally as emotional at the result. She said: “I was in tears and completely heartbroken at the end of the match. I was gutted.”

Meanwhile, the day started bright and early at 7.10am for the Shipley Bantams, as a convoy of six coaches left Woodbottom Working Men’s Club, in Otley Road, Shipley.

Many even popped into the club before the coaches departed for a quick pint, purely to calm the nerves of course.

The atmosphere on board on the near five-hour journey down to the capital was positive, as fans universally predicted a Bantams victory.

Just before the coach pulled into the car park at the home of English football, Mr Szalkiewicz joked that Wembley was City’s training ground due to the number of visits his team has paid there over recent years.

It was a family occasion on-board for Dave Taylor, 62, of East Bowling, as he took his grandson Alex, 13, on his first trip to Wembley.

Mr Taylor said: “I think it will be close, but City will win 2-0 and Mark Marshall will score first.”

Chris Dalby, 57, coroners officer at Bradford Coroners’ Court, was another of the City fans who travelled down with the Shipley Bantams and was also confident of the victory for his side.

He said: “I think it will be 2-0 to City. If we went up to the Championship, it would be a Yorkshire league. It would be brilliant if we won today.”

Wembley Way became a sea of claret and amber before kick-off, as City fans invaded the capital for a place in the Championship, which unfortunately eluded them. Their players may not have been successful on the pitch, but the City fans in the stands at Wembley were passionate and proud representatives of their club.