City’s glamour Capital One Cup quarter-final date with Arsenal will be a tribute to their progress under Phil Parkinson.

Arsene Wenger’s aristocrats head for Valley Parade tonight for the most eagerly-awaited game since the Bantams rubbed shoulders with them in the Premier League.

And Wayne Jacobs believes there is one man who deserves the plaudits for making it happen – manager Parkinson.

Jacobs said: “It’s fantastic what Phil’s done at the club to bring teams like Arsenal back to Valley Parade. Reaching a cup quarter-final is a major achievement.

“Phil and his staff should be commended for the squad they have put together to make this game possible.

“I also take my hat off at the way the team have kept churning out result after result in the league.

“I’ve been involved when you’ve been in cups and then come January there’s only the league left and your form has suffered because of the toll these extra games have taken on the squad and the injuries.

“I’m not being disrespectful but we are playing without our best team and we’ve still been nicking results in the middle of this run.”

Jacobs was in with the City fans for the dramatic shoot-out win at Wigan in the last round. He can understand the excitement that has gripped Valley Parade since Arsenal’s name was drawn out.

He added: “I heard Mark Lawn on the radio before the draw saying they would love Man United away. I fully understand that from a chairman’s point of view because of the finances on offer from playing at Old Trafford.

“But nothing beats a big game at home and the buzz across the city in the last few weeks has been fantastic.

“Seeing the fans getting absolutely drenched queuing up for tickets shows the passion there. People haven’t stopped talking about it.

“The thought of seeing a football legend like Arsene Wenger walking down the touchline really brings it home.”

Despite toppling top-flight opposition before, Jacobs admits it will take something extra special for City to pull off the biggest shock of the competition and beat the Gunners.

“The performance at Wigan was great and it’s going to take something like that against Arsenal, probably even more.

“All 11 players must perform to their absolute capacity – and find something else on top of that. Then you’ll still hope Arsenal have a bit of an off day to get anywhere near a result.

“But once the game kicks off, if any Bradford player does anything well, whether it’s winning a tackle or making a good pass, no doubt the whole stadium will erupt behind them.

“Let’s just enjoy the occasion, come rain or cold, win, lose or draw. It’s going to be a special night.”