MARK Lawn admits that he does not understand social media.

City's joint-chairman is no fan of hashtags, although he can see they have a purpose for generating support.

The club's #bethedifference campaign last season underpinned the huge backing for the improbably magical trip to the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The nerve-tingling atmosphere created for the Valley Parade clashes with Sunderland and Reading was every bit as memorable as City's underdog exploits on the pitch.

But Lawn believes he had already witnessed what fan power can achieve. He didn't need Twitter or Facebook to back that up.

As Valley Parade braces itself for a mouth-watering Boxing Day clash with leaders Burton, he recalled City's last encounter with the Brewers in the League Two play-offs.

When the 2013 history-making season is remembered, it's easy to forget how close they came to blowing promotion.

Having timed the run into the top seven to perfection, everything was going wrong in that first home leg of the semi-finals.

At 3-1 down at half-time, City looked down and out. That was when Lawn feels the full effect of the Valley Parade fans was first felt.

Garry Thompson crucially halved the deficit before the end with a thunderbolt strike that glanced in off Gary Jones – but Lawn felt the assist that night came from behind the goal.

"That was the start, for me, of the fans making the difference," he said.

"I know there are all these hashtags and you have to do that in the modern day. But I'm a bit old fashioned and I don't really get on the internet a lot.

"But that night against Burton and what the fans did was what made the difference for me. For me, they made the difference at 3-1. Everybody's heads were down; the players were down; we looked beaten.

"But the Kop were rocking, absolutely bouncing, that day. I think they got that second goal for us. It was a great hit from Garry Thompson but without them, I couldn't see us scoring."

City, of course, still had it all to do at the Pirelli Stadium three days later – against a team with the strongest home record in the entire Football League.

Lawn, secretly, didn't fancy their chances, until he spotted the specially-made Wembley scarves being sold on the concourse.

It was his 'Blackpool' moment. Like the route to the final that had been printed in the programme in 1996, this was a Burton boast that he could not wait to convey to the away dressing room.

He said: "The scarf said something like 'Burton on the road to Wembley'. So I bought one straight away and got it taken down to the lads.

"I thought that if they needed any more motivation, then there it was. Burton had already booked their seats.

"I've got to be quite honest, I didn't think we had a hope in hell going there already a goal behind. We never do well at Burton. It's always tough down there.

"But we had that momentum back from coming back in the first game and I thought any little thing might help."

That Sunday lunchtime encounter entered City folklore as a dominant away display overturned the odds.

Strike duo Nahki Wells and James Hanson proved unplayable, the Bermudian scoring twice and Hanson delivering the goal of the game with a right-foot rocket from the edge of the box.

Lawn said: "He's a big goal scorer. It amazed me that you get these people moaning about the big fella. He brings so much to the game and he has scored so many important goals."

From that point, it was almost inevitable that City would take the final step and win at Wembley. Northampton, for all intent and purposes, were reduced to a walk-on role in the most one-sided final imaginable.

But what would have happened if the Bantams had not managed to pull it round in that second leg?

Lawn said: "We had the League Cup run, so there was money to put in for the year after. We'd have had a go.

"You know how we work at Bradford City. We'll never risk the club. We operate within our fiscal means and take educated gambles with money.

"We always stretch the budget. We've always not got enough but that's what we like to do – we give it as much as we can out on the pitch.

"But it would have been difficult (playing another season in League Two). Look at people who've lost in the play-offs and they don't tend to come back next year. It can knock the stuffing out of you."

Burton did manage to return the following season, only to suffer Wembley heartbreak against Fleetwood.

But again that blow left no lasting hangover as they re-emerged as League Two champions in May – and that momentum has continued into their first term in the third tier to top the pile at Christmas.

Lawn admires what they have achieved and said: "You've got to congratulate Burton for where they are at present. Isn't it nice that a so-called small club, as people would say, are going so well.

"But they are run well. They've got good housekeeping and you won't see them going into administration. Seeing clubs being sensible like that and still able to succeed gives everyone else a chance.

"They've shown there are players around who aren't on massive amounts of money and are good enough to get you up there.

"I felt sorry for Burton a little bit to see Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink go because they did give him his break.

"Obviously he's going to move on – but then you've got Nigel Clough back again. They will be equally as hard to beat because he's a very good coach."