Bradford boss Phil Parkinson is relishing his side's return to the role of FA Cup outsiders after watching them keep their Wembley hopes alive with a gutsy goalless draw against Reading at Valley Parade.
The Bantams' recent knockout heroics had made them narrow favourites to book their place in the semi-finals for the first time since 1911 despite the fact they faced higher league opposition.
However, after watching Gary Liddle come closest in a clattering clash when he hit the woodwork late in the first half, Parkinson was keen to revive the siege mentality which helped them to wins over Chelsea and Sunderland.
Parkinson said: "We will go down there for the replay really as the underdogs and we will approach it in a positive fashion because we're at our best when we do that.
"We won at Stamford Bridge which was seen as a day out for us because no-one expected us to go and get a result. So we are still very much alive and kicking."
The draw will mean a rare return for Parkinson to the club for whom he made 361 appearances as a player, and where he was voted their best ever central midfielder in an online poll.
"I'm looking forward to going back there because I haven't got down there many times since I left," added Parkinson. "Obviously I would have preferred to have gone through but the next best scenario is the replay."
Pavel Pogrebnyak and Oliver Norwood also hit the post for Reading who were bidding to make their own bit of history by reaching the last four for the first time since 1927.
And Steve Clarke's men know they will probably never have a better chance than their replay against League One opposition which is scheduled for a week on Monday at the Madejski Stadium.
Clarke had plainly set his side up to combat the physical nature of the Bantams who had stunned Sunderland in the fifth round and taken the lead inside the first four minutes.
And the tone for a full-throttle, but low-quality, encounter was set in a robust opening minute as Billy Knott barged over Jamie Mackie and moments later Nathaniel Chalobah's challenge left James Hanson stretched out on the deck.
The bruising encounter continued in the same vein from the first whistle to the last with Reading captain Alex Pearce playing the last three minutes with a broken nose after an accidental clash with Bradford substitute Francois Zoko.
Bradford had stepped up the pace in the second half with chances for Hanson and Andrew Davies but it was Reading who came closest to snatching it when Norwood's late free-kick caused a mighty scramble in the home box.
Clarke said he hoped the replay would attract a sell-out crowd at the Madejski Stadium but rejected his side's role as favourites and stressed the Bantams were still very much in the hunt for a semi-final place.
"We are both still in the hat and can look forward to the draw, and both teams will fancy their chances in the replay," said Clarke.
"We hit the post twice and on another day we could have nicked it but it's probably a fair result and now we will look forward to them coming back to our place.
"I knew we were in the game from the first minute from the way we were challenging and getting the second balls.
"I knew we were determined to get them back to our place if that was the best we could do, and everyone was 100 per cent concentrated on that."
Source: PA
