What if...?

What If Adrian Littlejohn had taken £350 a game to play for City?

In the run up to the home game with Ipswich Town in 2003 Nicky Law needed a striker. He found one in veteran former Sheffield United man Adrian Littlejohn who was only to happy to be involved in First Division football again his previous club having been lowly Plymouth some two years before. The crunch came when Littlejohn was offered his contract, £350 to play games, not required for training. Littlejohn walked and in stepped Danny Forrest. The rest is, of course, Bradford City history but... What If Adrian Littlejohn had taken £350 a game to play for City?

What happened...

Joe Royle being no mug knows Littlejohn's game is all about pace and that if he is clattered early on he stays quiet and so the Ipswich manage duly assigns a man to chunk Johnny Boy early on keeping his quiet to the annoyance of unheard of Danny Forrest on the bench who spends the next few weeks increasingly annoyed that the ineffectual striker is on the field.

By the time Forrest does get a game his momentum has ebbed away and he ended ups running around trying to prove himself instead of playing a more natural game. He comes on for Ashley Ward against Sheffield Wednesday at VP but is quickly sent off the field for giving Danny Maddix the thumping he so richly deserved. Forrest's tag of bright new striker and subsequent England u19 call up never comes but he is hence forth known as The New Bobby Campbell. Drinking problem follows.

As a result of Forrest not heading up the bright new generation of City talent the current young generation of Bantams players have no figure head and quickly drift away from the club. Simon Francis goes to live with his brother Simon after he signs for the New York/New Jersey Metrostars, Lewis Emanuel goes back to his movie career and Craig Fishlock returns to, erm, incarcerating marine life, or something.

Who is glad it did happen?

We are. Bradford City fans have taken to Danny Forrest in a significant way that allows him to miss the odd chance and not get booed from the pits of our souls. Nicky Law is glad too cause he finally has a striker the crowd do not hate. Glad to are Port Vale who wanted Adrian Littlejohn eight days a week and he rewarded them with stunning late goals which would never have been scored in the First Division, cause it's too tough. The end.