PHIL Parkinson reckons the Valley Parade faithful can help roar City to Wembley after getting the home draw they wanted against the club where he is seen as a legend.

Parkinson has cult status at Reading after making 425 appearances in an 11-year spell.

But he will cast that to one side for their FA Cup quarter-final clash on the weekend of March 7-8.

The City boss said: “It will be strange playing against Reading in a game of this magnitude. I had some great times there.

“I always felt privileged to be part of the squad that moved from Elm Park to the Madejski Stadium. The club was transformed almost overnight.

“I’ve still got so many friends in the town and I can’t wait. It will be absolutely brilliant.

“The priority for everybody was a home draw and we’ve got that.

“If we’d had a big game away at somewhere like Arsenal, it would have been great but we’d be restricted to about 6,000 fans. Being at home again means we can get the people of Bradford to come out in their numbers.

“All the comments I’ve read and heard about the Sunderland game have talked about the atmosphere our supporters created. Now we want more of the same.

“We want to get as many Bradford fans as we can possibly cram into the ground.”

City avoided the remaining Premier League big boys in the last eight but Parkinson will not under-estimate the Royals.

He added: “They’ve just been to Derby, one of the top teams in the Championship, and beaten them 2-1 and they’ve been in the Premier League twice in recent years.

“Reading are a good solid club with strong foundations and that’s why they have been successful.

“Now they’ve got new owners, different to John Madejski from my time there. But they are a good club.”

Joint-chairman Mark Lawn echoed his manager’s comments that the home atmosphere can be a key factor.

Lawn said: “If we can get the crowd rocking and rolling like we did against Sunderland, then they’ll intimidate the Reading players.

“Phil will do his homework and there’s that added spice because he was a big, big Reading player. He’s a hero for them.

“They absolutely love him down there but hopefully we can make it that they don’t like him as much!

“We’re 90 minutes away from Wembley. Another performance like we produced against Sunderland and the fans will get to go to Wembley and don’t they deserve it.

“Reading will be licking their lips thinking they’ve got the softest team. They have because we’re the lowest team.

“We are the underdogs but hopefully we’ll give them a fight and who knows what will happen.”

Striker Billy Clarke was at the 1911 Club at Valley Parade last night to hear the draw live with supporters. The Irishman was delighted to be handed the chance of repeating Sunday’s triumph against Sunderland.

He said: “There will be a massive added incentive for the manager and I’m sure he will pass that on to us.

“It’s very winnable for us against a Championship team and there’s a massive carrot at the end of it.

“You obviously don’t want to look too far ahead because it will be another tough game. We’re still going to go into it with an underdog mentality – which we will be because they are a division above us.

“It wasn’t long ago they got relegated from the Premier League so they’ve still got a lot of good players.

“But we’re going to enjoy it like we have done with the rest of them and you never know.

“Sunday was incredible and to get that again would be another great day.”