IT’S just over ten years since five City-supporting businessmen came together to help the club tip-toe through the minefield of administration.

The summer of 2004 was hugely stressful for all concerned with Valley Parade – at one stage they were within 20 minutes of shutting the doors for good.

For David Bosomworth, it was some introduction to the workings of a football club; the ultimate case of diving in at the deep end.

The steering committee, headed by Jim Brown, manoeuvred the Bantams through a series of fraught financial meetings before Julian Rhodes could assume overall control just before Christmas.

So there will be an added poignancy at this weekend’s FA Cup tie when Bosomworth will sit alongside Rhodes as chairman of FC Halifax.

Former City striker and fellow Shay director Bobby Ham will share his pride. He too was involved in that committee.

Bosomworth said: “They were perilous times and it needed some bodies just around the club. It was a good introduction for me to see the running of a football club from behind the scenes – and a difficult one.

“But Bobby and I were happy to provide some help in whatever format it was going to take. We did what we could to help Julian in particular.

“It seems many years ago now and football moves at a vast rate. Hopefully Julian knows what was done in that time and if we’ve played a small part in helping move the club forward then great.

“But, as I say in my programme notes for Sunday, the Rhodes family and latterly Mark Lawn have done a fantastic job with the club.

“Perhaps the results aren’t going quite as they want right now but Bradford City are still in League One and moving up again.”

Bosomworth became City’s director of youth before moving across to Calderdale through an equally turbulent period that saw the original Halifax fold in the summer of 2008 with debts of over £800,000 to the tax man.

When the new club were formed, they had to start life in the ninth tier of the football pyramid. The excitement at rekindling the local derby at last is understandable.

“I don’t hide the fact that I’m a Bradford City fan,” added Bosomworth. “When you look through all the scenarios, I was there at Blackpool home and away going to Wembley for the first time and for the Wolves result with Paul Jewell.

“I’m delighted to see the club back to doing so well after being in League Two. Getting to the Capital One Cup final remains an incredible achievement.

“But I’m totally blue and white now and look at what we’re trying to emulate. We’re on our own journey here.

“When you think where we’ve come from in Unibond North One, playing the likes of Prescot Cables, Cammell Laird and Rossendale United.

“Neil Aspin has brought us through three divisions, we’ve had play-offs, had Charlton Athletic down in the FA Cup three years ago – and now we’re facing Bradford City.

“It’s moments like this that makes all the hard work worth it.”

Bosomworth had just come out of a meeting with West Yorkshire police. This week has been far from the norm for a club who lean so heavily on volunteering and good will.

He admitted: “Games like this do test the manpower and the facilities. We have to run a really lean machine.

“The girl who heads up our media voluntarily has just had twins as well. They came early!

“These things come to try us but we are doing our best.

“We employ on a full-time basis one and a half people in a non-football capacty. That is it.

“We run a club that has an average gate of 1,600 on voluntary contributions, whether it’s from myself, co-directors or whatever.

“Everybody has their own work as well so the volunteering tends to come after hours.

“But that’s what non-league is about. You haven’t got the central distribution sums that allow you to have lots of people doing the job.”

The TV people began setting up at the start of the week. Bosomworth, who is hoping for a crowd topping 8,000, believes the tie has all the right ingredients for a memorable afternoon.

“Bradford City will win 99 times out of 100. Whether this will be that 100th game, who knows – we do have a good home record.

“It’s been wonderful when City have beaten Wigan, then Arsenal and Aston Villa. They’ve been the underdogs so they know what it’s all about and they’ll be prepared for this game.

“But we’ve absolutely nothing to lose and I’m sure the Bradford City players will be every bit as nervous as our boys are.”