It is no secret that all fans ask from the football team they support is pretty football, winning and silverware. Of course all clubs don’t achieve this at all times, but it’s the hope of glory and the passionate commitment of supporters that means they keep coming back for more.

The Capital One Cup is quickly becoming the one competition every club feels they can win. It’s the first trophy of the season that is up for grabs and fans are now becoming more and more hopeful that it will be their team’s year come the final in February. The competition is a serious opportunity for silverware and place in the Europa League, and don’t the fans know it!

The journey to Wembley – the spiritual home of English football – can be a long and arduous one, but a trip that encompasses everything that fans love about the beautiful game. Upsets, away days, cold midweek games and, of course, glory are just a few of the factors that make football what it is.

Where a league campaign may offer mid-table obscurity for some teams, the Capital One Cup can make dreams come true in so many ways and for so many fans. Success in this competition, whether it be an upset or going on to lift the trophy, can provide much needed confidence and promise for a club’s future.

Last year’s competition was a prime example. When the first set of balls were pulled out and the names put into fixtures few would have predicted that Bradford – a fallen giant plying their trade in League Two – would eventually be in the direct gaze of the nation and in with a genuine chance of claiming one of the nation’s oldest and most valued prizes. Phil Parkinson’s men may have left London empty handed, but the memories created during a wonderful run to the final – which included shock wins against Premier League opposition such as Arsenal and Aston Villa – will still live long in the memory of the Bantams’ loyal supporters. With promotion also secured in the same season, the competition could be looked back on in the future as the catalyst of Bradford’s rebirth. There’s a long way to go, but anything is possible.

Eventual winners Swansea also left Wembley with a wonderful story. Although few focused upon their tale of jetting up the Football League ladder, the Swans capped a truly astonishing decade with a trophy, a set of circumstances that would have seemed beyond the realms of possibility when the club were staring at the abyss at Vetch Field.

This sums up what the Capital One Cup is all about. The underdogs toppling the aristocracy and reminding supporters of what football is all about. Football is passion, determination and victory.

Supporters of all ages are now appreciating what the Capital One Cup has to offer.

The competition is a welcome relief, giving a new generation of fans the chance to witness what the sport is and should always be.

The Capital One Cup is giving something back to the devoted fans of the Football League’s clubs. Who knows, maybe this season could give Leicester, Burnley or Birmingham’s followers memories that will last forever.

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