Leeds United versus the Leeds suburb of Bradford TSS June 16, 2011 Leeds United 27 Comments Over the past decade or so the League Cup has become an absolute joke of a competition. With the big boys of the Premier League often progressing to the latter stages with a squad full of reserve players few have heard of, it undermines the experience for the smaller clubs who simply can’t compete despite facing supposedly weakened opposition. The problem with English football these days – much like the Spanish league winnable only by Real Madrid and Barcelona – is that success is often reserved for only the smallest handful of teams. The gulf in class between those at the top and those further down has widened to such an extent there’s almost no point competing any more. This time around however, the standard apathy with which I usually receive news of the draw was replaced by genuine excitement. Ourselves and Bradford City might not share the same kind of rivalry as Everton and Liverpool, but the two cities have expanded to such an extent it’s difficult to tell where one starts and the other ends nowadays. What you have here then is real derby day stuff – something I’ve developed a bit of a taste for over the past few years since our well-publicised nosedive into the abyss (where the rest of Yorkshire’s teams reside). Leeds United are often perceived as arrogant by the rest of Yorkshire’s teams due to the lack of respect we offer our neighbours. Most fans will dismiss any rivalry with those teams closest to us due to the fact we rarely get the chance to play one another. But what makes derby days so very magical for people like me who live in Leeds is that we all know supporters of the opposition – hell, I have about half a dozen family members who support Bradford who’ll definitely be amongst the 4,500 fans making the short trip to Elland Road, and that’s before I even begin to consider the amount of friends and colleagues I’ll have in attendance. For me then, this is one of those rare occasions where the domestic cups deliver the kind of excitement they used to do when I was a kid. Regardless of what any Leeds fan tells you, we want to beat Bradford City – more than that, we demand it. The superiority complex that spawned flags and banners claiming we’re Yorkshire’s Number One team demands we keep these smaller clubs in place. Bradford will arrive like an eager puppy, desperate to prove they can compete with the neighbour club that so often overshadows them. As Yorkshire’s biggest club Leeds United will have a point to prove. These opportunities don’t come around often, and a Bradford City victory is something we won’t hear the end of for years to come. A convincing victory then is the only scoreline that will satisfy. Bring it on…