Bradford City hero breaks 13-year record previously held by Nahki Wells as Bantams make history

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Bradford City have enjoyed an impressive start to the season and have broken two long-standing records in the process.

Bradford City sit third in the League One table after an undefeated start to the 2025/26 season.

Graham Alexander has overseen four wins and two draws from the Bantams’ opening six league fixtures, as well as Bradford’s win over Stoke City in the Carabao Cup.

With Bradford hot on the tails of second-placed Stevenage and league leaders Cardiff City, their league form bled into the Football League Trophy comeback victory over Grimsby Town on Tuesday evening.

It was within this comeback victory that one Bradford star broke a 13-year record held by former star Nahki Wells.

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Andy Cook’s brace vs Grimsby Town breaks 13-year Bradford City record

In Tuesday’s EFL trophy clash, visiting Grimsby went one goal to the good just before half-time at the University of Bradford Stadium courtesy of a Danny Rose penalty-kick despite being down to ten men after Henry Brown’s dismissal.

With Alexander searching for a way to get Bradford back into the game before it was too late, the Bantams boss introduced veteran striker Andy Cook from the bench with 25 minutes to play.

Cook proceeded to score on 76 minutes to bring the tie level, before scoring a dramatic winner in the fifth minute of added time to break Grimsby hearts and send the Bantams into the next round.

The 34-year-old’s brace saw Cook become the first Bradford player to net a brace off the bench since Wells did so against Burton Albion in the 3rd round of the League Cup back in September 2012.

What makes Cook’s brace even more impressive is the fact that it came on the forward’s return from a 244-day injury lay-off.

Cook produced his 15th multi-goal performance for Bradford against Grimsby, a Bantams record bettered only by four players: Bobby Campbell (21), Frank O’Rourke (20), Sean McCarthy (19), and Dean Windass (16).

That brace took Cook’s tally to 87 goals in 193 appearances for the Bantams since arriving initially on loan in January 2021, but that was not the only Bradford record broken.

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Bradford City break club record in 122-year history

As well as the Cook record, the comeback win over Grimsby broke a club record that had stood throughout the Bantams’ 122-year history up until Tuesday night.

The Grimsby win saw Bradford start a campaign on a nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions for the first time since their inception in 1903.

After securing promotion back to League One from League Two last season, the Bantams were expected by many to struggle in the third tier this season, but Alexander’s side have silenced any doubters thus far.

Their win against Grimsby was not the only time the Bantams have come from behind to win this term, following Bradford’s comeback win against Stockport County in the opening exchanges.

Maintaining that never-say-die attitude will be crucial for Bradford throughout the remainder of the season as they look to carry that positive momentum into Saturday’s trip to Doncaster Rovers.