as an away victory against local rivals Huddersfield Town on penalties, however their run ended with a defeat to Oldham Athletic. He led Bradford to safety finishing 18th in League Two, then stating that he wanted a promotion push for next season. On 11 December 2012, Parkinson's Bradford side progressed to the semi-final of the League Cup after an historic victory over Premier League club Arsenal after a penalty shoot-out. Parkinson then led Bradford to another historic victory in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals at Valley Parade, defeating Premier League Aston Villa 3–1 in front of 23,245 fans. Despite a 2–1 defeat in the second leg at Villa Park, Bradford won the tie 4–3 on aggregate to progress to the 2013 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. In the final, Bradford lost 5–0 to Premier League Swansea City. After the match, Parkinson criticised referee Kevin Friend for sending Matt Duke off, which resulted in a penalty and described the match as "harsh". His role in taking Bradford City to the League Cup final resulted in him being rewarded with the Outstanding Managerial Achievement award. He said in statement, "I'm very honoured to receive this award. My name might be on it but it is a team award – not just the team on the pitch but the team off it as well." A strong run of form towards the end of the season secured City a playoff place. After a win over two legs against Burton Albion, Bradford City were promoted to League One after beating Northampton Town, 3–0. After the match, reflecting on all that Parkinson and the rest of the team had achieved during this remarkable season, he said it was beyond his wildest dreams. Shortly after, Parkinson signed a new three-year deal with the club, along with coaches Steve Parkin and Nick Allamby. Parkinson would follow up the groundbreaking 2012–13 cup upsets with a historic 4–2 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Bradford City went 2–0 in the first half, but fought back in stunning fashion to record what Robbie Fowler called the "greatest FA Cup upset of all time". Fans of Bradford City have gone on to call him, the real "special one" following the win at Stamford Bridge. Bradford are still the only team, at any level, to have ever overcome a 2–0 deficit at Stamford Bridge and win during the reign