"Forty thousand people are about to witness the impossible become inevitable."
Jake's words echoed through the Stadion Wankdorf tunnel as Bradford City's players made final adjustments to their kit. The Europa Conference League final represented the culmination of a journey that had begun in England's fourth tier, a transformation that defied every statistical model and conventional wisdom about football hierarchies.
Barnes secured his captain's armband one final time, the fabric worn smooth by countless matches that had shaped both the man and the team. Around him, twenty-one teammates prepared for the ninety minutes that would define their careers and validate three seasons of tactical evolution.
