David Wetherall has called time on City's cup failings.

The Bantams travel to League Two side Rochdale tonight in the Carling Cup, hoping to notch their first knock-out win for FOUR years.

City have lost nine cup ties on the bounce since beating Rotherham in September 2001 - and only one of those defeats was against a team from a higher division.

Wetherall, a survivor of that Millmoor win, admitted: "It seems a long, long time ago and we've got to put it right. Every time in the last few years we've fallen at the first hurdle. For us to stay in the draw for round two would be doing something.

"With the financial state the club's been in and to an extent is still in, then a cup run will be a great bonus. We want to be involved but we haven't lived up to expectations.

"If you get beaten by a Premier League or Championship club then you hold your hands up. Shocks do happen but without being disrespectful you would expect us more often than not to beat the teams who have been knocking us out."

Wetherall and Lewis Emanuel are the only players from the 2001 win who are still with the club. The City skipper was left out of two of the three cup games last term but will play this time.

Emanuel is also set for his first start of the season because Middlesbrough will not allow on-loan Andrew Taylor to be cup-tied.

He added: "I know in the past that weakened teams have been fielded and some people have been rested, including me, but I don't think there's too much doubt that the manager will put out his strongest side this time."

City have not had to travel in the cup since losing at West Brom under Nicky Law in January 2003. But after five successive upsets at Valley Parade, Wetherall does not agree that an away draw will help to buck the trend.

"I might be nave but I always look for a home draw and presume I'm in the majority. Taking one game on its merits and not thinking about the previous nine, then I'd much rather be playing at home tonight.

"Even if we'd had a normal cup record in the last few years, you still wouldn't view going to Rochdale as an easy game.

"But there's no reason that what happened previously should affect this game whatsoever. It's 11 v 11 for 90 minutes on a football pitch and just because we've struggled in cup competitions in the past shouldn't change matters.

"If we apply ourselves properly, we should still be favourites to go through. We're confident in our own ability to go there and get a very positive result."