EDIN Rahic stood on the hallowed Wembley turf and gasped in wonder at the empty stadium around him.

Suitably taken in by his surroundings, the City chairman turned to James Mason and admitted: "I would die to play here."

The magic of Wembley is international and Rahic was as awe-struck as any proud Englishman at the magnificence of the national stadium.

Rahic and City's chief operating officer Mason were among officials from the four play-off semi-finalists invited down to be talked through the logistics should their clubs make it through to the big day.

For the representatives of Fleetwood and Scunthorpe, that was as close as they got. Like children finding their Christmas presents snatched away, that mere glimpse will just heighten the agony of falling at the penultimate hurdle.

For Rahic and those from Millwall, it was an exciting taster of what is to come a week on Saturday.

No wonder he admits to still pinching himself after City sealed their place with that rock-solid defensive effort at Fleetwood.

Tiny Highbury, with its capacity of barely more than 5,000, could not be further removed from the prospect of a Wembley that could threaten the third-tier record of 76,935 set by Manchester City in 1999.

But the ultra-professional job carried out in the seaside sunshine on Sunday night has paved the way for the potential fairytale ending to this remarkable season.

Rahic smiled: "No, it has not sunk in yet. I still can't believe it. It was such a hard way, the whole year.

"We've built with Greg (Abbott), Stuart (McCall) and James a squad that is really great; no bad eggs. It's brilliant. We've deserved it.

"Our aim was to reach a promotion, of course, but obviously it was too difficult at the beginning with no manager and only eight (senior) players under contract.

"So the aim was still to reach Wembley and improve on the previous season. We have done that now and anything can happen at Wembley. We have achieved our goals so far and now it's just one game.

"I was there two weeks ago for the preparation of clubs who have the chance to be at Wembley. Walking on that pitch, you just want to run your socks off. It's as simple as that.

"Now we have a great chance because what we have is a winning team."

City's opposition – and in particular, the significance of the date of the final – suggest that greater forces may have been at work.

It was after last season's play-off exit to Millwall at the Den that Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn ceremonially handed over the baton of Bantams ownership to Rahic and Stefan Rupp.

May 20 will mark officially one year since the German duo officially took control. Another sign, in Rahic's eyes, to think positively.

"It's almost fate because it's the first anniversary of our takeover, so you have to believe in it," he said.

"We don't want to be arrogant but you have to be confident. We believe so much in the team and the employees now. We go everywhere together for a drink – there is such a good bond now.

"Millwall have two great strikers, so we will have to take care, but we have a brilliant defence as well.

"We have had close games but Wembley is different, playing in front of 80,000. At the end, you win it in the head. It's a mental game, it's not just about football any more."

Rahic and Rupp milked the moment as City celebrated in front of their jubilant fans at Fleetwood. The owners joined the players to revel in the scenes, singing along with the massed choir behind the goal.

City's place in the final was never really in doubt against a home side who offered surprisingly little in the way of a comeback from Rory McArdle's first-leg header.

Yet anyone sitting within a close radius of the Germans would have appreciated the anxiety they still went through during the 90 minutes.

Rahic said: "I was still nervous. You never know because Fleetwood are so dangerous. They can have one chance and they will score.

"They waited for this one chance but it never popped up, so we were lucky – but to be fair, if you watched the first game, we well deserved to go through."

Rahic's mobile has been buzzing constantly with calls from back home. He jokingly believes it is possible to fill an entire section with German well-wishers keen to share in City's special day.

He said: "They've been asking me already. I think anything from 200 to 500 people will come from Germany.

"So many have been asking me 'Can I have tickets?'. I say 'Of course you can but you have to pay for them'. I'm a Yorkshire type now!

"We'll have our own German section there. They are booking the flights now and we'll organise the hotels.

"We just have to enjoy it. Anything can happen in 90 minutes – or extra-time and penalties. Who knows?

"If our players play like I know they can from 55 games, with the same desire and energy and clever football, then we have a massive chance."