CANVEY Island’s Billy Knott says he wants to show Sunderland what they missed out on after his Bradford City side learned they could face another of his former clubs in the FA Cup – having dumped Chelsea out at the weekend.

Knott, 22, was watching the FA Cup draw in Leeds when ball number four was drawn out of the hat live on the BBC on Monday night. And there was a sense of inevitability as former England striker Gary Lineker proceeded to pull out ball number 14 to confirm either Sunderland or Fulham, as Bradford’s fifth round opponents.

Just 50 hours earlier, Knott and the rest of his Bantams teammates had been celebrating causing one of the greatest FA Cup shocks of all time, having knocked Premier League leaders Chelsea out of the FA Cup 4-2, having been 2-0 down.

And former Cornelius Vermuyden School pupil Knott, who spent more than three years at the Black Cats between 2011 and 2014, says anything is now possible for Bradford.

“I am definitely confident,” he said, having been involved in Bradford’s first two goals against Chelsea. “Anything is possible in this cup run and we would have taken anyone after winning at Stamford Bridge. Most of the boys wanted Manchester United away but this is still a very good draw.

“It is really exciting. Sunderland have a really difficult game against Fulham in order to get through but it would be brilliant to get them down to Valley Parade.

“I had a great time there. I developed there but, like I have said in the past, I felt like I was standing still and I had to make the move for the sake of my career. Hopefully I can prove to them what they missed out on should they be our opponents in the next round.”

Echo:

Starting the party –Billy Knott gives team-mate Andy Halliday a piggy back as Bradford celebrate at Stamford Bridge

Sunderland travel to west London next Tuesday in a bid to secure a tie with the Bantams on the weekend of February 14/15.

And Knott, who made his one and only Premier League appearance against Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the 2012/13 season, says he wants to test himself against another Premier League club after the biggest day in his career against Chelsea’s £200million superstars.

“I don’t think anyone in their wildest dreams could have imagined us scoring four times and winning at Chelsea in the circumstances,” said Knott, who joined the Yorkshire club for free in the summer. “(Jose) Mourinho has never conceded four goals at home while he has been Chelsea boss so to cause an upset was one thing, but what we did was another.

“The goal before half-time gave us huge belief. We were able to come out in the second half and in the end deserved to get the result.

“It was a big difference playing against Premier League players than the guys in League One. We got the right result in the end but they moved the ball so well and made it hard for us. When I looked over and saw the likes of Cesc Fabregas coming on I was a bit star struck to be honest!”

Echo:

Ex-Mackem - Billy Knott in his Sunderland days

Knott went off in the 80th minute to a rousing reception from Bradford’s 6,000 travelling fans although he admits he would have loved to have got the equalising goal, with his shot cannoning off Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech before it was tucked home by another Blues old boy Filipe Morais.

“I was gutted not to get the goal myself but we scored from the loose ball and that is all that matters,” he said. “I thought for a moment the ball was going to go through Cech’s legs but it wasn’t to be.

“The feeling at the end was indescribable. To look and see that many fans, including your friends and family was something you will never forget. Then we went back to Canvey and celebrated with my family. The whole thing was a whirlwind.

“I wish I could back and experience that moment all over again. I would pay a lot of money for that to happen.”