STEPHEN Darby knows how much it hurts to lose in the play-offs to Millwall.

Darby’s heartache in 2010 was magnified because it happened at Wembley in the League One final.

The defender, then on a season’s loan at Swindon from Liverpool, had seen off future boss Phil Parkinson’s Charlton in the semi-finals on a penalty shoot-out – slotting home the winning spot-kick himself.

But Millwall triumphed 1-0 to leave Darby, who came on for Alan Sheehan midway through the second half, a deflated on-looker as the celebrations began.

“It’s heart-breaking,” said the City skipper. “It’s what you’ve worked so hard for and made the sacrifices for to get into those positions.

“There’s no worse feeling on a football pitch than when you do lose a final.

“But obviously after that disappointment settled down, however long it takes players whether it is days or weeks, you’ve got to try to use that to motivate you for the next season.

“It makes you want to keep pushing on and be successful even more.”

That success arrived three years later when City blew away Northampton to win promotion from League Two. Victory felt all the sweeter for the defender because of what had happened before.

“You know what it’s like to lose so it was great we could enjoy the other side of it. You felt the excitement and emotion of not just the whole day but the whole season’s hard work.”

Now Millwall again stand in the way as Darby looks to lead the Bantams back into the second tier for the first time since 2004. After four years at the club, he knows just how much getting into the Championship would mean.

“It’s a massive club. Four or five years ago, the phrase sleeping giant came to mind whenever you mentioned Bradford City.

“For a club this size, you say championship’s a minimum but there is no divine right to be there. You’ve got to have that work ethic, passion, desire and ambition.

“Add all that together and you won’t go far wrong.”

A late Steve Davies goal saw off Millwall on Easter Saturday – one of seven straight home wins for the in-form Bantams. But Darby does not see that as a psychological edge for tomorrow.

He added: “It will give us confidence but at the same time sides are in there on merit.

“They’ve performed really well over the course of the season to get in the play-offs and deserve to be there.”

Promotion is potentially three games away but Phil Parkinson has made sure City have kept to a normal training routine. One of five players from the 2013 play-off winners, Darby trusts the squad to remain grounded.

“You can sense that buzz. But it’s important to realise that although we’ve achieved what we set out to do, it is only stage one.

“There is still plenty of football to be played. We’ve got to keep our feet on the ground because there is a lot of work to do.

“Obviously there’s a lot at stake and the intensity does rise, not just on the pitch but off it with the fans and the atmosphere.

“You want to play with that passion but you’ve also got to keep a cool head as well.

“It’s nice to have that (play-off) experience, not just myself but quite a few of the lads.

“But anything can happen in these games. There are going to be highs and lows and it’s important we stick together as a group and really focus now.”