The Bantams, put together for £7.500 by manager Phil Parkinson, will now play the winner of tonight’s clash between Chelsea and Swansea, into which the Welsh-based side take a two goal advantage.
On their way to the final the anything but fancy Yorkshire side has overcome Premier League sides Wigan, Arsenal and now Villa, along with tough opponents Notts County and Watford.
With a 3-1 lead going into last night’s second leg, Bradford were looking to hold on, but the deficit was narrowed by Christian Benteke.
But then James Hanson headed in to bring the match back to level, again exploiting Villa’s shocking defence of set pieces.
Andreas Weimann scored late for Villa, but it was too little too late.
This is the first time Bradford have made the final of a major competition since they won the FA Cup in 1911 and it makes them the first time a side from the fourth division to make this final since Rochdale in 1962.
“These lads will be remembered in the history of Bradford City for years to come,” Parkinson said.
“There’s a 1911 lounge at the club to celebrate the cup victory of that year. Well, in years to come, there will be a lounge named after this cup run and these players because of what they’ve achieved.
“To go to Wembley is going to keep the club going for quite a while, I imagine. For the city of Bradford, it’s massive and I really feel that this can galvanise the area.”
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