Adam Chabukiani: Defying All Odds

Hopefully the January movements will give Bradford PA a boost ahead of the remainder of the season!

mgriffin2012: Thanks mate, I'm looking forward to seeing what these lads have got!

Justice: It's definitely the best time to turn a season around for sure

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As the year turns into 2023, we have started it amazingly with eight wins and two draws (with both being in cup competitions) and continuing our rise up the Premier League table with a 100% win ratio in the league for this month. In cup competitions we defeated Notts County in a replay match at Elland Road. But perhaps the biggest news of the month is the confirmation of a trip to Wembley for the Capital One Cup Final against Manchester City in late February.

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After our initial lowly position early on in the season, we have rocketed up the table into sixth place and a potential Europa League spot at that. We also have a game in hand on all teams but Man United in this position which gives us the opportunity to overtake Everton in fifth and that could lead to even a Champions League spot if results go our way.

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Surprisingly his first award of this type, Jurij Dinaburskij has won January's Player of the Month award at long last. He has been putting in wonderful performances all year and has even reached the top of the Premier League scoring charts with 22 goals this season. However other players have outclassed him in recent months until he bagged eleven goals in ten games this month. He has had to form a new strike partnership with Aldo Ríos while Matthew Fletcher goes on international duty with Australia alongside Ben Blackmore and has coped excellently well.

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Newcastle must really hate playing against you Dina has been on fire, his goals have really lit up your games! You're not too far from CL spots now, keep cranking up the pressure and you'll get there!

I love how prolific in front of goal your side is mate! Score so many goals and have a solid defence too! Big things are coming for you and the club!

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Adam Chabukiani has sealed his second domestic cup title win of his career, bagging the Capital One Cup with a 2-0 win versus Manchester City.

Bradford Park Avenue started this season's campaign with an away day at Yeovil's Huish Park, which was won 4-0 thanks to goals by Carmelo Troccoli, Jurij Dinaburskij, Joan Montenegro and Jack Hallahan.

It took until extra-time for Bradford to get through to the 5th Round of the cup against Nottingham Forest, with two goals coming after ninety minutes from Hallahan and Avenue's summer signing Cláudio as Bradford ran out 3-2 winners.

Carmelo Troccoli was Bradford's Quarter-Final saviour with two late goals to put Avenue's tie with Chelsea to bed. Montenegro scored in the 75th minute followed up by Troccoli's brace in the 85th and 89th minute of the match.

A 1-1 draw at St. James' Park against Newcastle in the Semi-Final First Leg was met with unease from both sides at the final whistle. But it was Bradford who came out on top in the Second Leg, punishing Newcastle's lack of home conviction and pummeling them 5-0 at Elland Road to send Avenue to the Final.

After a very entertaining midweek game against Braga in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday which finished 6-5 on the night and 9-5 on aggregate, fans were in high spirits on the Yorkshire side of England.

Bradford's opponents - Manchester City - had beaten their fierce rivals Manchester United in the Semi-Finals on away goals as their tie ended 3-3 on aggregate. There was cause for concern for Bradford as they had never beaten Man City in their entire history.

However, the statistics which had put Avenue down as the underdogs for this Final were proven horribly wrong on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Wembley.

The game began reasonably equal for both sides involved, with Bradford and Man City getting around the same amount of chances up until half-time when Chabukiani's tactics really began to shine.

Bradford opened the second half with an immediate assault on City's defence, led by Jurij Dinaburskij as they struck the post. Bradford went on to dominate the centre of the park with Alfred Duncan and Ben Blackmore breaking up any Manchester passes through the middle.

With all of the units doing their bit for the team, it was time to punish City's lack of possession with lightning fast wing-play. Carmelo Troccoli raced down his left-wing like he has done all season before whipping a perfect cross into Jack Hallahan - Bradford's other winger - leaving Hallahan an empty net to tap the ball into, making it 1-0 in front of the 90,000 spectators.

As Bradford opted to play more defensive after their opening goal, they still tried to counter attack at any opportunity as Man City had more freedom to go forward and pursue an equaliser.

Bradford's counter-attack strategy worked perfectly for them with five minutes to go. With City wasting their energy every time they went forward ever since Hallahan's opener and Bradford's players trying to save their energy for the last five minutes in the hope of a breakaway thanks to City's tired defence, they were rewarded for their strategy again.

As Antonio Conte urged his men for that last push for a goal, it left his side very vulnerable at the back with only Lucas and Avenue old-boy Mason Holgate defending for his team. Hallahan broke away with the ball and sprinted down his right-wing before squaring the ball across the box to assist Carmelo Troccoli's goal in the 85th minute, putting the tie beyond all doubt.

The Capital One Cup is just Adam Chabukiani's second cup win in his managerial career at Bradford Park Avenue in the eight years he has been involved in the first-team setup there after winning the FA Trophy all the way back in 2017.

Justice: Absolutely, Jurij has been absolutely quality and is already making up the big fee I paid for him!

mgriffin2012: I gotta agree man, I've spent big bucks on youth facilities and players in recent years and we have an awesome spine of players in Montenegro, Blackmore and Dinaburskij/Fletcher. It's all looking great

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As we move on into March, we remain unbeaten - a record that has stuck with us since our 3-2 loss to Man City on 3rd December 2022. This means we are unbeaten in 25 matches in all competitions. It has been a good month for us in cup competitions, advancing in the FA Cup, the Europa League and of course, winning the Capital One Cup.

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It's been another decent month for us in the league, despite only picking up half of the points available in the four matches we played. Due to our involvement in cup competitions we have a two-game headstart on Chelsea in fifth so we have an opportunity to overtake them.

Arsenal are hot on the tail of Man City at the top meanwhile surprise package Everton still fly high in third place. Crystal Palace look certain for relegation this year as they haven't been outside of the bottom four since the very first match of the season. Burnley and Sheffield United will fight for their Premier League lives until the very last day as well.

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Carmelo Troccoli is instating himself further into Bradford Park Avenue folklore with every single week. This month he scored in the Capital One Cup Final as well as hitting nineteen in both the scoring and assisting charts for the season. He is quickly becoming one of the best wingers we have ever had at the club.

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In what is their most successful season to date, Bradford Park Avenue enter the Europa League Quarter-Finals draw.

Adam Chabukiani and his troops led the club to a 5-1 aggregate victory over 2nd Knockout Round opponents Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on Thursday night with Fletcher, Troccoli, Halilovic and Ríos leading Bradford into the next round.

Avenue grabbed an away win in the First Leg thanks to Carmelo Troccoli's 34th minute strike. A week later Bradford finished off the Ukrainians with a 4-1 win at Elland Road in front of Bradford Park Avenue's record attendance of 39,282.

This win means Avenue remain in every cup competition they were entered in this season after winning the Capital One Cup last month and an upcoming FA Cup Quarter-Final fixture against Liverpool on 22nd March.

However the Quarter-Final and Semi-Final draw for the UEFA Europa League campaign of 2022-23 has been made this evening. With the eight teams of: Ajax, AS Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen, Bradford Park Avenue, GNK Dinamo, KRC Genk, Marseille and Valencia left in the tournament, fans of all clubs were eager to see their opponents for the next stage.

Bradford were the second-last out of the box, drawing Croatian giants GNK Dinamo in a home game for the First Leg on 13th April, before visiting Dinamo's Maksimir Stadium a week later. Both matches will be televised.

In the Semi-Final draw for the tournament, it worked out that either KRC Genk or AFC Ajax will play Bradford PA or GNK Dinamo in the next round after the Quarters.

With only five Barclays Premier League matches to go, a Europa League position is already confirmed due to Bradford's Capital One Cup victory. However the manager, Chabukiani will be disappointed to lose out on a Champions League spot this season considering their outstanding form as they sit just a win away from overtaking fourth placed Manchester United.

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As we close in on the final stages of the season, our form keeps on improving with every game - with the exception of our first loss in thirty matches against league leaders Arsenal. We defeated Liverpool in the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup to send us through to a Wembley Semi-Final fixture against Chelsea next month in between the weeks we play Dinamo in the Europa League.

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Since last month, we have moved up one place in the league into fifth place as we look to break away from Chelsea with the help of our game in hand and hope to enter the Champions League qualification positions as we sit three points behind Man United with five games to go.

As you can see, we played our first two matches in the UEFA European Championship Qualifiers and we won against Romania while drawing against Croatia. We top our group on four points and a +2 goal difference with Croatia behind us in 2nd.

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He's back as our Player of the Month again, with seven goals in five matches, Dinaburskij could be the man to fire us into the Champions League. He has been ineligible to play in the Europa League all season so we hope to go past GNK Dinamo in April with only Fletcher and Ríos as our attacking options. However, another fantastic month from the lethal Russian forward.

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Just two months after inserting the Capital One Cup into Bradford Park Avenue's trophy cabinet, The Stans are on course to do a domestic double.

In a highly-anticipated clash between Bradford and Chelsea in front of a 90,000 capacity crowd at Wembley for the FA Cup Semi-Final, Chabukiani's men ran out 3-0 winners.

Chelsea had beaten Avenue in the league just last week to deny them a Champions League qualification spot in a match that ended 2-0 thanks to an Ayoze Pérez brace.

After defeating Europa League opponents GNK Dinamo in a 5-1 victory in midweek, Alfred Duncan and co. took their form into the FA Cup match.

Bradford Park Avenue dominated the match, having ten more shots on goal than the Kensington side as well as having 57% of the ball possession throughout the entire 90 minutes.

The first goal arrived in the 20th minute of the match as Tobias threw the ball to Aldo Ríos before receiving the pass back and whipping in a cross which was duly headed in by midfielder Alfred Duncan from around the penalty spot.

The second goal of the match came in the 63rd minute through Carmelo Troccoli. Tobias carried the ball down the right before finding Rémy Cabella further down the wing. The Frenchman crossed the ball in at waist height which found an unmarked Troccoli inside the six-yard box who gladly tapped the goal in.

Rémy Cabella marked his return to the team with Bradford's third and final goal of the game in the 76th minute. As Tobias threw the ball to Dinaburskij's feet, the Russian found Cabella on the edge of the box with a low and powerful pass which the winger thrashed his right boot at, giving Courtois no chance of stopping the shot.

Avenue have reportedly received around £1million in prize money for advancing all the way to the Final where they will play either Man United or Tottenham at Wembley.

This is the first time that the club have made it to an FA Cup Final and is an opportunity for Chabukiani to add his sixth trophy to his personal achievements and a chance for the club to achieve a remarkable cup double.

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Two Barclays Premier League games to go. The top five is so tight beyond any belief and we could end this season being runners-up to the title it is that close between us and Everton. A league loss to Chelsea threw us off course for the top four before a 6-0 win in the final match of this month against Leeds. We made our way into the Semi-Finals of the Europa League with a 9-2 aggregate score against GNK Dinamo and an FA Cup Final trip is also booked for Saturday 27th May when we will play Tottenham Hotspur in the Final.

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So this is the part where our season comes down to the wire. The past two seasons we have had to settle for Europa League football, and although we have already qualified for it through out Capital One Cup win, Champions League qualification is very much likely at this stage. On the final day of this season we will face Everton, who are currently in 2nd place and only two points ahead of us, which could well mean we could finish the season in runners up.

Arsenal are confirmed the champions this season, after winning it twice in a row between 2018 and 2020. No other team has been guaranteed a spot in next season's Champions League due to the top five being so tightly packed together. A loss for any team in that little pocket is enough to drop their income next season by millions of pounds.

Meanwhile, at the bottom Crystal Palace are the first to succumb to the drop despite pegging back Man United this month. Burnley and Sheffield United still fight for Premier League survival, with Derby and Aston Villa also threatened by the drop.

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Another fantastic month for the Italian winger as the statistics for this month show. Troccoli made his full Italy debut in March and has scored in both matches for his national team. Since signing on a free transfer last summer, Troccoli's value has shot up to £26M thanks to his 26 goals and 29 assists in 54 games this season - a true asset to this club's success.

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Hello, and welcome to Sky Sports today where we will be covering the final day match-up between Champions League chasers Everton and Bradford Park Avenue.

It's a huge match today, with the title already confirmed and ready to be lifted up by Arsenal captain Aaron Ramsey at full-time it is all down to the top five and the bottom five to provide us with the drama today.

Bradford arrive in Merseyside this afternoon off the back of a home win at the newly expanded Avenue Stadium against AFC Ajax in midweek which put them through to the Europa League Final against Bayer Leverkusen in just three days time.

Meanwhile Everton - one of the newest surprise packages this season - sit in fourth place following a devastating run of form as they lost three matches in a row. A loss today to Bradford may push them out of Champions League qualification, with Manchester United creeping over their shoulder in fifth.

It's a near sell-out at Goodison Park, with 39,591 tickets sold to fans in the hope of seeing their team qualify for the biggest club tournament to offer.

Now we are looking at the stat pack here and Bradford seem to defeat Everton in every aspect. Jurij Dinaburskij - the Premier League top scorer - has scored 32 in 35 games this season, while Everton's top scorer, Abdoul Dia has scored 15 in 32 games for The Toffees. Likewise on assists, Rémy Cabella has 16 compared to Sergi Roberto's 10 assists. However the Frenchman has been given time away from England due to homesickness and won't play a part in today's match.

Out of the five times the teams have met, Bradford boast three wins as Everton only manage one win out of the five with one draw.

In terms of injury news, Everton look to be without Benik Afobe for this game as he is sidelined with a hernia. A real headache for former Everton player and now gaffer John Heitinga. For Bradford, they are without Rémy Cabella who is currently on leave and Luke Lloyd, who is missing out with a suspension.

Here is the Bradford Park Avenue lineup for today:


On the bench for The Stans are: 1. Yann Sommer (GK), 2. Keith Miller, 18. Callum Slattery, 20. Matthew Fletcher, 4. Courtney Holmes, 24. Silvan Widmer and 17. Alen Halilovic.

As for Everton, this is the team that Johnny Heitinga has selected for the massive match today:
[4-2-3-1]: 1: Kim Seung-Gyu, 2: Sergi Roberto, 21: Michiel Desmet, 25: Ramiro Funes Mori, 15: Ali Adnan, 24: Stéphane Pires, 16: James McCarthy, 10: Gokhan Tore, 6: Nathan Redmond, 8: Dani Ceballos and 17: Abdoul Dia.

On the bench for The Toffees are: 35: José Aurelio Suárez (GK), 20: Harley Love, 14: Oscar Lewicki, 18: Miquel Llabrés, 12: Denis Suárez, 4: Fábio Cardoso and 13: Veton Berisha.

Two very strong lineups there from both sides who clearly are desperate for a victory today. It's gonna be an epic, no doubt about it! And today's referee Jonathan Moss will get us underway now.

1': And we're off! Abdoul Dia kicks off the match today by passing it to Dani Ceballos.

2': A quick note on the relegation battle down there, Sheffield United have taken the lead against Tottenham, which lifts them out of the relegation zone! Coronel the scorer for The Blades.

10': Here's the Bradford captain Ben Blackmore standing over a free-kick out wide on the left, looking like he's going to whip one in here. Desmet heads away the cross and Andrew Robertson recovers possession for Avenue. He's passed it to Jack Hallahan's feet, Hallahan's threaded Aldo Ríos through! Saved by Seung-Gyu!

15': Alfred Duncan to take the free-kick over on the left hand side near the halfway line. With so many bodies forward it looks like a cross is on here. It's crossed in deep... Seung-Gyu collects the ball.

His kick lands on the head of Joan Montenegro and it's back with Blackmore. Now it's Ríos. Hallahan has tried to cross one in but it's been blocked by Ali Adnan. It's Tobias' turn now... Headed away. Redmond has it now... It's a long ball over Bradford's young defence and it's now with Dia! Great tackle by Richard Webb, who is normally a midfielder but has to cover for Lloyd's suspension today.

16': Tobias intercepts a pass down the line and now it's with Aldo Ríos who holds up the ball. Jack Hallahan is speeding away and a through ball is played to the Irish winger. Hallahan... It's 3-on-2 here... It's passed to Dinaburskij!!! GOAL!!! That's a goal from none other than Jurij Dinaburskij! He's slotted it through the keeper's legs there and that's his 33rd goal of the season - there is simply no stopping that man! 1-0 Bradford Park Avenue.

30': It's fantastic news for Everton here as Goodison Park roars with excitement. Newcastle United have taken the lead against Manchester United at St. James' Park thanks to Nabil Fékir's goal! As it stands Bradford and Everton will qualify for Champions League football.

45+2': That's it for the first half! Bradford Park Avenue lead 1-0 at the break thanks to a Jurij Dinaburskij finish in the 16th minute.

46': Aldo Ríos and Jurij Dinaburskij kick off the second-half for us here at Goodison Park.

50': It's delight around Goodison Park once again! Nabil Fékir has scored a second goal for Newcastle against Manchester United and it's 2-0 over in the North-East!

52': Denis Suárez replaces Dani Ceballos in the number ten role.

57': It's time for former Bradford midfielder Stéphane Pires to come off, with the Swiss World Cup winner receiving a standing ovation all around the ground, including Avenue supporters. Oscar Lewicki replaces him.

58': It's a free-kick over on the right-hand side of the penalty area, perfect for the left-footer Alfred Duncan to cross a ball in from here. It's not gone far as it has been cleared to Denis Suárez. Montenegro has missed his header as falls to Redmond! Stopped and put behind for a corner by Emmanuel Cervantes!

62': Duncan with the corner for Bradford now. Headed clear by Desmet but Hallahan retrieves it inside the box... He's put in a waist-high cross towards Carmelo Troccoli... Roberto tackles the Italian but it falls to Dinaburskij!!! GOAL!!! Jurij Dinaburskij with his second goal of the game!!! That's a real poachers goal and his manager will be delighted with that one! It's 2-0 to Bradford now!

63': Veton Berisha replaces the injured captain Gokhan Tore for Everton. James McCarthy takes the armband off the winger.

69': The match stops for Chabukiani's first sub of the game. Aldo Ríos comes off for Avenue legend Matthew Fletcher. A deafening applause for both players who have both been excellent contributors this season.

80': Roberto throws it to Redmond who has swapped wings for the moment. He is tackled by his own player, Suárez and Robertson takes possession for the away team. A pass wide to Troccoli is cut out and Everton have it back in Avenue's half. A fantastic tackle by Tobias on Lewicki there - he's been a terrific signing. Here's Fletcher, now Dinaburskij. Troccoli has it on the left now. It's Dinaburskij... Threaded through to Fletcher... He's muscled off Funes Mori and now for the epic finish!!! GOAAAL!!! It's three for Bradford Park Avenue!!! Champions League football is heading to West Yorkshire as Matthew Fletcher adds the finishing touch to their Premier League campaign! And that is Matthew Fletcher's 200th league goal for Bradford Park Avenue! What a player he has been for that team! 3-0 to Bradford!

90+3': We're almost done here as Robertson picks up the ball to take the throw-in. He's aiming it at Jurij Dinaburskij... Full-time!!! It is celebration night in Merseyside tonight as both Everton and Bradford PA claim Champions League football for the 2023/24 season! Unbelievable scenes here at Goodison Park as news comes in that Manchester United have lost to Newcastle and will therefore be playing Europa League football next season!

We have today's Man of the Match with us, Bradford's Jurij Dinaburskij! Hello, Jurij!
Good afternoon, sir!

Just how good does it feel to have taken Bradford to the Champions League next season?

It's a fantastic moment for err.. the club! I know the struggles the err... Mr Chabukiani had gone through to get the club so far into this err... position! It's a great achievement for all of us.

You have experience in the Champions League with your old team, Zenit St. Petersburg - will that previous experience be helpful in advancing in that tournament?

Oh, absolutely! The competition is a massive thing for any err, player to play in it. We must be mentally ready to face tough challenges next year and err.. I think we can do it!

You recently signed a new four-year contract with Bradford - are you happy to be staying put?

I wouldn't rather be anywhere else! This is an amazing club that has been built from the bottom and I'm happy to be a part of their history.

You finish this season as the Barclays Premier League top scorer, what is your key to such success?

Err.. you just need to err.. keep your head down, keep on training your hardest and you will become very good striker! You must also be calm in front of goal and positioning is very important.

Are you listening, kids? Haha, thank you Jurij. You are today's Sky Sports Man of the Match - well done.

Ah, thank you very much!

That was today's Man of the Match Jurij Dinaburskij, scored a brace today and assisted Matthew Fletcher's final goal.

But this isn't where the story ends this season for Bradford PA! In just three days time, the squad will jet off to Holland for the UEFA Europa League Final versus Bayer Leverkusen at De Kuip, before flying into London for the FA Cup Final against Tottenham Hotspur! A very busy week ahead for Chabukiani's men.

What a fantastic end to the season! Congratulations on that brilliant victory over Everton, and good luck in the two finals!

What a brilliant season! Now go bring those trophies home mate!