Even the mad clapper, or Hammerhands as he was quickly christened in the press box, had gone silent.

The pounded palms were for once shoved in his pockets. The most ardent Wigan fan had been reduced to an embarrassed silence.

I had not met a more optimistic supporter than the lad perched right next to our corner of the DW Stadium media seats. Every little touch from a blue shirt, however minimal, was greeted with feverish applause.

You had to admire his enthusiasm. If the Wigan players had possessed the same fervour off the pitch, maybe they would have found a way through the Bradford City maze.

That’s a big maybe, though. On nights like Tuesday, when the football Gods for once were smiling on those in claret and amber, you felt that the Premier League club were destined to remain goalless however long they toiled.

That reality slowly dawned on Hammerhands when Shaun Maloney lent back and chipped his penalty over the City bar like Pat Richards. Only this one was not cheered so keenly in the rugby mad town.

As every Bantams spot-kick aficionado can tell you, the outcome of the shoot-out was inevitable anyway. No team are deadlier from 12 yards – just ask Notts County or Port Vale, Sheffield Wednesday or Huddersfield, Sheffield United or Hartlepool.

But the sight of Maloney’s feeble effort bouncing into the empty stand behind Matt Duke was all the confirmation that the Wigan faithful needed that Capital One Cup humiliation was beckoning.

Alan Connell hadn’t celebrated – he was in the zone to make sure there was no similar fluff from the spot when he was next up. The striker duly did his duty and Duke completed the job by stopping Jordi Gomez.

Wigan, not City, were left clapped out after another long, long night of gut-wrenching cup tension.

The fans cannot complain about value for money. None of the eight teams still standing in the competition have played as many minutes as Phil Parkinson’s side.

That’s three extra-times in four, now including one penalty shoot-out. Even the only win in “regulation” at Watford was settled by a decisive strike in the fourth minute of stoppages.

Not that the magnificent away following that took over the DW needed an excuse to stay as long as they wanted.

Some had missed the first half an hour or so negotiating the traffic clogging up the M62 and Wigan town centre. The drama that was to unfold will have made up for that initial frustration.

It was an occasion to wear the City colours with pride. After more than a decade of nothingness and despair, this was finally a game to look back on and say “I was there”.

Parkinson was visibly taken aback by the size and noise of that following.

It wasn’t just the absence of a tie in the post-match interviews that suggested City’s boss had let his usual mask of calm slip for once. He spoke in genuine wonderment about the volume of support that had roared his players through to a memorable triumph.

As he had told the team, this was a powerful reminder of the magnetism that had drawn them to Valley Parade in the first place.

The performance in response was every bit as big as that backing – and that’s not always been the case when the City supporters travel in such numbers.

It was the largest away crowd seen at Wigan for six years, matching the most recent record set by Manchester United. None of them went home disappointed.

When the draw was first made, I was as downbeat as the next man at missing out on a potential giant. But the opposition turned out to be immaterial.

Tuesday was a night of celebration for a club where the bunting has been gathering dust for far too many years.

The Bantams faithful had forgotten what it was like to watch their side on a decent cup run. Now they are going like the clappers.