CITY will look to channel their frustration at being ignored for FA Cup TV coverage into making it a winning “homecoming” at Valley Parade tomorrow.

The club are hoping for a bumper turn-out against Colchester to welcome back Phil Parkinson’s Chelsea slayers.

And there is likely to be an extra edge about the place with the seething sense of injustice after being snubbed from the TV schedule for the fifth-round live ties.

“After our heroics on Saturday recreated the magic of the FA Cup, this has taken some of that feeling away,” said chief operating officer James Mason.

“We had no divine right to be on TV but you got the overwhelming impression from the general public that they wanted to follow our story through to the next phase.

“We aren’t being presumptuous or arrogant in any way to think we should be on TV. But we did feel there was a very good chance with so many games being shown.

“Everyone is disappointed more than anything and I think there will be an element of showing the TV companies what they have missed.”

Viewers on Match of the Day, which enjoyed a ten-year spike when the game was on, voted City’s win at Stamford Bridge as the greatest FA Cup upset of all time.

Some Chelsea fans have even contacted the club this week about tickets and hospitality packages for future home games as City’s success captures the imagination of a national audience. Joint-chairman Mark Lawn has also been in demand from media organisations throughout the UK.

Mason added: “With all respect to Cambridge, who’ve still got to play Man United in their replay, we’re likely to be the lowest-ranked team left in the FA Cup. We’re the highest scorers in the competition and have provided value throughout every round.

“Phil has taken the competition very seriously from beating Halifax onwards. It’s a great story that the public have wanted to be part of.”

The lingering euphoria from Stamford Bridge should guarantee a large crowd for the visit of the U’s as City look for their first league points of 2015. After back-to-back losses against Rochdale and Yeovil, the Bantams will be eyeing three points to propel them back into the top six.

Mason said: “While last Saturday was arguably the greatest day in the players’ lives, the reality is that we were knocked out of the play-off places by not playing.

“Now it is back to the day job and this is the chance to take that momentum from the tremendous performance at Chelsea into our league campaign.

“We are an entertaining team that score goals and we’ve started to prove that in recent games.

“Fans are excited by what we achieved last week and the likes of Jon Stead, Billy Knott, Andy Halliday and Mark Yeates have almost become household names around the country.

“Now you can see them in their own backyard, which is why we are branding tomorrow as the big welcome home. We really hope that the fans will be out in force to roar the team on from the off.

“After being the nation’s darlings last Saturday we want to encourage potential season-ticket holders for next season to come down and see what is on offer week in, week out.”