FROM May 17 – as long as there are no Covid-related mishaps – fans will be allowed back into sports grounds in limited numbers.

It means that after more than 12 months of playing in front of empty stands, players will finally get to hear the roar of fans once again.

Fans in some areas did get back into stadiums at the end of last year but this quickly ended as rising infections and deaths in the UK’s third wave plunged the country back into lockdown.

It’s been a long time since fans took their seats at Valley Parade, but there is still a chance they will be able to see the Bantams in action this season, but it’s going to take a remarkable run from City and a big slice of good fortune.

What needs to happen for Bantams fans to be back in Valley Parade this season?

For fans to be back in stands this season, Bradford City need to qualify for the play-offs.

The last day of the season comes on Saturday, May 8, but there is a long wait until the play-offs begin later that month.

The first leg would be on May 20, second leg on May 23, and then the play-off final is at Wembley on May 31.

City have five games left this season, and sit 13th in League Two. To make the play-offs they need to get into seventh spot at the minimum. Currently they are four points adrift after missing the chance to cut the gap to one at Harrogate yesterday.

If City win their next five games on the bounce, against Tranmere, Port Vale, Salford, Scunthorpe and Morecambe, they will have a good chance of making the play-offs, especially as three of their five opponents sit above them in the play-off race.

The maximum number of points City can get is 73, while of the teams currently in the play off spots, the maximum seventh placed Newport can get is 77.

The race is really close, with 11 points separating 10 clubs, and six of these clubs, including City, have a game in hand on their rivals.

This means City need the clubs above them in the play-off race to slip up and drop at least four points; the race is tight and every point is crucial.

Only wins are going to give City the chance to climb out of League Two. The club has already said they are in cup-final mode for every game for the rest of the season.

Who will be able to go to the game?

If City do pull it off, a reduced number of supporters will be able to go into Valley Parade for either the first or second leg of the semi-final.

The maximum number of fans who will be able to get in is likely to be 4,000, meaning many season ticket holders will unfortunately miss out, but if this small band of fans can help push City over the line, then it’s a trip to Wembley.

At Wembley, with it's larger capacity, up to 10,000 fans will be able to attend; if that is split 50/50 it means 5,000 tickets for City fans.

If it's a winning Wembley trip, then there could be a full house at Valley Parade to see a first game back in League One.

Whatever happens, our man Simon Parker will be following it every step of the way, and everyone in Bradford will be urging City on from afar in their quest for promotion, and once the 2021/22 season comes around capacity crowds should be back for good.