Ellis first came to the attention of Bradford City while playing for junior club Trinity Athletic in 1978 , as an amateur , before he was taken on as a non-contract player in 1980 . He made his debut as a substitute on 11 April 1981 in a 3 – 3 draw with Wigan Athletic , before signing as a full-time professional the following month . The following season he played 18 league games as Bradford won promotion from Division Four under the guidance of Roy McFarland . McFarland soon left and was replaced by Trevor Cherry , who gave Ellis more league games each season , and he was a regular by the time City won the Division Three title in 1984 – 85 starting in all but two league games . On the last day of that successful season his day was to turn into a nightmare when 56 spectators were killed in the Bradford City stadium fire in a game against Lincoln City . Following promotion , Ellis , nicknamed " Mega Star " , came close to playing in all four divisions when City missed out on promotion to 1987 – 88 on the final day of the season . But the season also proved to be a personal disaster for Ellis , when his career was nearly ended just after his 26th birthday following a cruciate ligament injury in a 1 – 1 draw at St Andrews against Birmingham City . Ellis was out injured for more than a year and played just 11 more league games for City in two more seasons
Bradford City stadium fire
Bradford City stadium fire
Mark Ellis (footballer, born 1962)