"Twenty-four hours ago, we were just another Championship side dreaming of Europe. Now look at us."
Barnes raised the Europa Conference League trophy above his head as the open-top bus crawled through Bradford's city center. One hundred thousand voices created a wall of sound that seemed to lift the vehicle off the road. The captain's words were lost in the noise, but his expression conveyed the transformation three years had brought.
Jake stood beside him on the bus's upper deck, touching the Bradford badge on his jacket for the thousandth time since Richter's header found the net. The weight of achievement pressed against his chest like a physical force, making each breath feel significant.
