HALIFAX boss Neil Aspin has added his voice to the clamour for City’s FA Cup derby with the Shaymen to be televised.
Phil Parkinson was at The Shay last night to see their West Yorkshire neighbours set up a mouth-watering first-round encounter by thrashing Chorley 5-0.
Aspin shares the view that it will be one of the ties of the opening weekend and said: “You look through the draw and it’s got to have a chance of being on TV.
“I’ve been here for six years and we’ve always tried to play Bradford in pre-season games and not been able to. Now they’ve got no choice – they have to play us.
“We’ve had a long wait but we’ve eventually got them.
“It’s a difficult tie in terms of if you want to progress but it’s fantastic for the club and for the area.”
Halifax are anticipating a five-figure gate for City’s first visit to the Shay in 16 years. Aspin admitted it was a challenge to keep minds focused on winning last night’s replay first.
He added: “You tell the players that if they don’t do the job, they won’t be in the next round.
“You’ve got to try and keep them focused. We’ve all been in football a long time and you know there will always be players thinking about the game to come – it’s only natural.
“I think they were focused enough and put in a good performance.”
Aspin reckons every lower-league team has been inspired by City’s historic achievement in reaching the Capital One Cup final two seasons ago.
He said: “The run Bradford had might never be repeated. It was absolutely fantastic.
“It’s great for any smaller club in terms of league position taking on bigger teams and getting through.
“We hear all the time about the Premier League but there’s a lot of good football played outside of that league.
“There are a lot of lads who are really dedicated and do a fantastic job. They are as disciplined and look after themselves as well as players at the top end.
“There is a world out there from the Premier League. It’s nice for players at our level to get some recognition, which you only seem to get with a cup run.”
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