The Bradford City XI that lost the EFL Cup final v Swansea City - Where are they now? | OneFootball

Highlights

Bradford City and Phil Parkinson managed to achieve what many fans and pundits’ thought was impossible: a team from League Two reaching a domestic cup final.

Swansea City would end up defeating Bradford 5-0 in the 2013 EFL Cup final, yet the Bantams fans will remember their journey to Wembley and the piece of history they achieved by playing at Wembley.

Matt Duke

Matt Duke would unfortunately get sent off in the final, with the team already 3-0 down.

The English keeper would leave the club at the end of the season to join Northampton Town. Duke would eventually retire after moving to other clubs, finally retiring in 2017 at Chesterfield.

Duke is currently working as a goalkeeper coach for Premier League side Sheffield United.

Stephen Darby

Stephen Darby played right back in the final, in his first season of five at the club. Derby joined Bolton Wanderers in the summer of 2017 but would retire early into his second season, having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

Darby, along with his wife Steph Houghton, have set up the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation to fund support for families affected by motor neurone disease and research a cure.

Rory McArdle

The Northern Irish international started at centre back that day and would be disappointed to have conceded five goals.

Similar to Darby, Rory McArdle would spend five seasons at the club before moving on. McArdle retired following the 2023 season with Harrogate Town but is still working with the club as a Professional Development Phase Coach.

Carl McHugh

Carl McHugh partnered McArdle in centre back at Wembley, with the Irishman spending two seasons at the Yorkshire club.

McHugh would play football in a number of countries following his move away from Bradford, including Scotland, England, and India.

He currently plays his football for Indian Super League club Goa.

Garry Thompson

Garry Thompson spent two seasons at the club, leaving to join Notts County. The midfielder moved around the Football League until 2019, when he would drop the English football pyramid, eventually becoming the player-manager of Bradford Park Avenue.

Thompson is currently playing for Milnthorpe Corinthians and is the co-founder of the gt7academy & Healthy Human Life UK.

Gary Jones

The captain for the fixture, Gary Jones, spent two years at the Bantams, with this being the obvious highlight.

Jones departed for Notts County and moved around the English Football League before retiring at Southport in 2017.

The Englishman has entered coaching, beginning at Bradford as a youth coach before moving to Ashville FC to manage them for the 2023–24 season.

Nathan Doyle

This fixture came in Nathan Doyle’s returning season after previously being on loan at Bradford. Doyle would spend two seasons permanently at the club.

Following his departure, he joined Luton Town but would retire from football at East Hull, a club he also coached.

Will Atkinson

Will Atkinson played left midfield for the final in his final season for the club before moving to Southend United.

Atkinson would move around the clubs in the English Football League, and his most recent club was Boston United, departing in the summer of 2023 and looking for his next club.

James Hanson

James Hanson would gain his first professional contract at Bradford and play at the club for eight seasons before moving to Sheffield United.

However, he would struggle away from the Bantams and is currently playing his football at Worksop Town while also coaching at the RIASA Academy.

Nahki Wells

Nahki Wells started the match up front, a reward for his goalscoring form in the semi-final and has gone on leaps and bounds as a striker since that final, with it coming in his second season at Bradford.

Wells would play for some major clubs in England, including Huddersfield Town, Burnley, and now Bristol City, all while becoming a Bermudan international.