CITY 3 NORTHAMPTON 0

Watch out Wolves and Sheffield United – the Bantams are coming!

Three first-half goals blew away Northampton as City booked their place in League One next season, ending a six-year stint in the bottom division.

Wembley was truly a wonderland for West Yorkshire with the result never in doubt.

City needed only three minutes to equal their shot tally from the entire Capital One Cup final as Nahki Wells fired a free-kick over the bar.

And their early impetus brought a reward with an opening goal after 15 minutes. James Meredith’s deep cross cleared everyone but Garry Thompson retrieved and stood the ball up for James Hanson to loop a header into the net.

The City fans were in raptures – and things got even better four minutes later. Nathan Doyle crossed from the right and there was Rory McArdle to nod home with a stooping header – and trademark tongue out goal celebration.

Northampton were totally dazed as the Bantams continued to fly at them. The Cobblers defence struggled to deal with any kind of cross – and were undone by another before the half hour.

Kyel Reid’s cross was knocked back across the six-yard box by Thompson and Wells did the rest with a close-range volley. It was his seventh goal in six games against Northampton.

Still City poured forward and Lee Nicholls had to finger-tip a Reid header over the bar to prevent a fourth.

Northampton needed to stem the claret and amber tide and the half-time whistle could not come quick enough.

But skipper Clarke Carlisle almost compounded their woes seven minutes after the re-start, slicing James Meredith’s throw-in towards the corner of his own net. Only an alert finger-tip save from Nicholls kept it out.

Northampton threw on the might of Adebayo Akinfenwa but still all the attacking threat came from City and Garry Thompson sped away before drilling a cross-shot just beyond the far post.

Wells had predicted two goals pre-match and forced a low save from Nicholls as Meredith burst menacingly into the penalty area.

But the scoreline was academic by that point. City were cruising.

After a decade and more of doom and gloom, the Bantams have begun their climb back up the league ladder!