October 1995: NOTTM FOREST 2 (Pearce 18, Silenzi 64) CITY 2 (Showler 62, Ormondroyd 89)

IAN Ormondroyd, who turned 56 earlier this week, scored 37 goals in his two spells in a City shirt.

But the lanky local lad plucked from Thackley will be best remembered for one particularly special moment 25 years ago.

Ormondroyd had re-signed for the Bantams that summer after leaving for Aston Villa in a £600,000 deal in February 1989. Lennie Lawrence paid £75,000 to bring him back from Leicester.

City had begun the Second Division campaign well with six wins from the opening 10 games.

They had also beaten top flight Nottingham Forest 3-2 at Valley Parade in the first leg of their League Cup second-round clash. Ormondroyd was on target that night as well as Paul Showler and Eddy Youds.

But Forest, still unbeaten in the Premier League, were firm favourites for the return a fortnight later.

Still, the Bantams’ support travelled in hope and huge numbers – around 4,000 swelling a crowd of 15,321 at the City Ground.

Lawrence and assistant Chris Kamara opted to start with five at the back as they prepared for the inevitable onslaught.

But the two-division gap between the sides was very evident in a one-sided first quarter of the game.

Forest showed they meant business from the start as Chris Bart-Williams forced Gavin Ward into a good early save.

And the home side levelled the aggregate on 18 minutes as Jason Lee headed on Scott Gemmill’s corner for skipper Stuart Pearce to knock in from close range.

City were getting “absolutely murdered”, in Kamara’s post-match words, as Forest continued to charge forward.

Ward again rescued City to deny Gemmill and then Lee’s first-time shot from a Steve Stone cross clipped the bar.

The Bantams had to change things and switched to a back four to add an extra body in midfield, where they were being overrun. It was a tactical move that paid dividends.

Showler showed their intentions with a spectular effort from 40 yards that Mark Crossley had to tip away.

As the wall of City noise built, Showler was at it again with a chip that the Forest keeper acrobatically stopped.

Richard Huxford then drove over the bar as City headed into half-time in the ascendancy.

That confidence continued after the restart. Ormondroyd nodded just over from Tommy Wright’s cross and then set up Nicky Mohan for an overhead kick that also cleared the bar.

But City hit back on 62 minutes. Ormondroyd was again the instigator as his left-wing cross was headed goalwards by Youds and Showler was on hand to finish from three yards.

They were only level for two minutes as Lawrence’s pre-match warning about getting hit on the break went unheeded.

Steve Stone cut in from the right and picked out Italian Andrea Silenzi to restore Forest’s advantage.

A brilliant goalline clearance from Youds kept out Lee after Ward has misjudged a Forest corner as City clung on.

Extra-time was looming as Wright tested Crossley from just outside the home box.

But with barely 100 seconds left, Ormondroyd delivered his magic moment.

Wright fed Wayne Jacobs to cross and the big man powered a downward header past Crossley into the corner of the net.

“It was a great night for the club and I would think an even better one for the city of Bradford,” roared a delighted Lawrence later.

“When Ian came here, I felt he was lacking in confidence after failing to get into the team at Leicester. Now with three goals, that’s returning, and after tonight’s goal he owes us nothing.

“The fans were fantastic and worth a goal to us. It’s hard for me to speak right now but I can assure you I am ecstatic."

City’s reward was a trip to Norwich where they battled to a goalless draw.

The Valley Parade replay was eventful, Ormondroyd scoring once more and claiming an assist for Neil Tolson’s goal that put City 3-2 up.

Robert Fleck missed a late penalty before future City striker Ashley Ward saved Norwich with his hat-trick goal to equal late on. The Canaries went on to win in extra-time thanks to Fleck and Andy Johnson.

But City would end the season with a historic first trip to Wembley – and promotion under Kamara.

NOTTM FOREST: Crossley, Lyttle, Pearce, Cooper, Chettle, Gemmill, Stone, Lee, Woan, Silenzi, Bart-Williams.

CITY: Ward, Huxford, Jacobs, Mitchell, Mohan, Ford, Wright, Youds, Ormondroyd, Hamilton, Showler.