By PHIL THOMAS
ARSENE WENGER’S season just goes from Brad to worse.
And after this latest humiliation for the under-fire Gunners, you would back a 10lb turkey to have a better Christmas.
Dumped from the Capital One Cup by a side some 65 places beneath them was embarrassing enough.
The fact you could hardly tell which was the League Two side for long, long periods of this quarter-final merely heightens it.
And for all the Gunners can point to near total domination of the extra 30 minutes, do not let anyone convince you the Yorkshiremen were not good value for their triumph.
It took 70 minutes for Arsenal to get their first shot on target — hardly the return you would expect from a team that cost a staggering £66.8million to assemble.
And do not forget they were not exactly taking on a Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea here. Not even a Manchester City, come to that.
They were facing a team which had not cost a penny in transfer fees. A team that — even the most one-eyed Bantams fan would admit — only REALLY had dreams of reaching Wembley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
A team which took 85 minutes to beat Torquay last Saturday. And a team packed with journeymen and much-travelled old heads enjoying the pipe and slippers stage of their footballing lives.
Oh, and also a team which simply does not know how to lose penalty shootouts. Just ask Arsene…
On the last eight occasions Bradford had gone to spot-kicks they had left the field all smiles. Last night the beams could have lit up West Yorkshire — and all this against an Arsenal side not far short of full strength as well.
In fact, the toughest task of the evening was picking a Bradford hero — you were that spoilt for choice.
Just as you were when it came to selecting the biggest Gunners’ villain to be honest.
Garry Thompson staked the first claim for glory for Phil Parkinson’s men, when his magnificently-struck 16th-minute volley gave Bradford a lead their play in the opening quarter of an hour fully deserved.
Nahki Wells was not far behind, as he left Thomas Vermaelen on his backside after only five minutes and proceeded to give the centre-back one of the biggest nightmares of his career.
Keeper Matt Duke was — as is becoming a habit in this competition — up there with the best of them as well in those frantic final few minutes as Arsenal threatened to snatch the unlikeliest, and undeserved, of victories.
But just about edging them all out was skipper Gary Jones, the 35-year-old whose only real claim to fame was as Rochdale’s all-time appearance holder before moving to Valley Parade on a free in the summer.
Jones, fittingly, was the man who delivered the free-kick which Will Atkinson flicked on for Thompson’s opener.
He belied his advancing years with a masterclass in midfield against such glamour boys as Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere.
And, most appropriate of all, he drilled home the most impressive spot-kick of all in the shootout — talk about nerves of steel.
Having said that, Arsenal were lucky to still be in with a shout by the time Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain brought the first serious save of the night from Duke — 20 minutes from time.
But just when Bradford fans were getting all set for a night on the booze to end them all — and Gunners ones for a night on the boos to do likewise — suddenly it was all square on 88 minutes.
And amazingly it came from Vermaelen, the man you would not have backed to tackle a good meal, let alone a Yorkshireman, up to that point.
Spanish golden boy Cazorla finally delivered a ball worthy of the name and Vermaelen arrived unmarked at the far post and could not miss with his header.
Marouane Chamakh shot wide in extra-time and Cazorla rattled the bar with a swerving effort — but another goal for the visitors then would have been harsh.
Nathan Doyle put the Bantams in pole position with the opening spot-kick before Duke pawed away Cazorla’s tame effort.
You could not help thinking there was a sense of justice, given how he had tumbled to con a penalty against West Brom on Saturday. This time it was his own hopes — and Arsenal’s — which took a dive.
Gary Jones sent Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way for a second. And when Chamakh hit the post the line was in sight — or, in Wenger’s case, more like the noose.
Stephen Darby’s fluffed effort raised hopes of a Gunners escape, especially when Wilshere scored. Bradford’s Alan Connell enjoyed further penalty success only for Oxlade-Chamberlain to also convert.
As Ritchie Jones let nerves win the day to allow Szczesny to simply drop on his weak strike, the heat was on Vermaelen to level it.
After the night he had endured, it should not have been the greatest shock when his effort came back off the post and Arsenal were out.
How long before we’re saying the same about Wenger?
