BANTAMS NOSTALGIA: When City's cup kings spiked Wenger's Gunners

(City won 3-2 on penalties)

GARRY Thompson’s timing was as spot on as it had been seven years ago today.

The 39-year-old former Bantam this week announced the boots were being hung up after a lengthy playing career.

And the news coincides with the anniversary of his finest night in a City shirt.

December 11, as nobody will need reminding, is the date that will go down in history for the humbling of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.

Wenger never won at Valley Parade in three attempts after two earlier failures in the Premier League.

But 2012 was a Capital One Cup date with a team from the bottom tier.

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In the previous round, Wenger had fielded a mix-and-match side of reserves and young hopefuls as Arsenal triumphed in a wild 7-5 free-for-all at Reading.

Most observers, including those within the club, predicted a similarly second-string line-up for the quarter-final trip to Valley Parade.

A rammed home crowd were still pinching themselves at getting this far in a competition which, for City, had begun before the league campaign had even kicked off at the start of August.

Even an unfamiliar Arsenal line-up would surely pose too big a challenge to take the unexpected journey any further.

But the team sheet caught everyone on the hop.

The names stood out in capitals, Cazorla, Podolski, Vermaelen, Sagna, Ramsey, Wilshere, Mertesacker – who would lift the World Cup with Germany 19 months later.

Eight of the team had played in the previous weekend’s win over West Brom.

City may have been going well in League Two in fourth but it looked a complete mismatch on paper in front of Valley Parade’s largest audience in half a century.

The outcome on a bone-hard surface proved very different.

James Hanson and Nahki Wells constantly made life uncomfortable for the Arsenal back four and a foul from Thomas Vermaelen on the Bermudian led to City’s sensational opener.

Gary Jones delivered an inviting free-kick from the right and the ball was flicked to the back post where Thompson connected with an unstoppable volley.

It flew into the roof of the net as the roof threatened to blow off Valley Parade with the eruption of noise that followed.

Now it was just a case of hanging on from the 16th minute. To a man, those in claret and amber rose magnificently to the test.

Arsenal still had chances but scorned them. One in particular still lives on in City folklore.

Francis Coquelin hit the outside of the post after a weaving run. That was unlucky but there were no such excuses for Gervinho.

Kieran Gibbs put an equaliser on a plate with a low cross past Matt Duke – but the Ivorian failed to make any contact as he slid in before the empty net.

The chorus of “Premier League you’re having a laugh” that cascaded from the Kop had never been more deserved.

City continued to hold their nerve as Arsenal predictably turned up the pressure as the game wore on.

Duke denied substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and then produced fine blocks to keep out Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla.

But with the finish line in sight, City’s hearts were broken with just three minutes remaining on Mike Dean’s watch.

Cazorla’s cross picked out an unmarked Vermaelen and the Arsenal skipper headed his side level. Embarrassment had been avoided – for now.

City looked out on their feet in extra-time when a Gunners winner appeared inevitable.

Wilshere blew another great chance and Cazorla’s 25-yarder cannoned off Duke’s bar. The Bantams hung on and held their nerve to take it to a penalty shoot-out.

This was their forte having won the previous eight occasions when games had gone to spot-kicks. The tables were levelled.

Nathan Doyle and Gary Jones nailed their penalties as Cazorla and Marouane Chamakh missed. Advantage City.

But Stephen Darby’s was saved and Wilshere narrowed the deficit. Alan Connell and Oxlade-Chamberlain swapped successful spot-kicks – and City led 3-2.

Ritchie Jones could have won it but his effort was kept out. Valley Parade could barely watch.

Then Vermaelen stepped up and clipped the post to spark an invasion of City players towards Duke in the Bradford End goal.

Phil Parkinson later told the media scrum: “I don't want the talk in the papers to be about penalties. The real story was how the lads performed over 120 minutes."

He was right. City had thoroughly deserved their famous victory.

CITY: Duke, Darby, McArdle, McHugh, Meredith, Thompson (R Jones 72), G Jones, Doyle, Atkinson (Turgott 92), Wells (Connell 74), Hanson.

ARSENAL: Szczesny, Gibbs, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Sagna, Wilshere, Ramsey (Rosicky 69), Coquelin (Chamakh 60), Cazorla, Podolski (Oxlade-Chamberlain 69), Gervinho.

REFEREE: Mike Dean

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