It 's been a long journey from Australia to Bradford City and the brink of the FA Cup semi-finals for James Meredith . At one point , during a break between his seven English – and one Irish – clubs , the defender found himself training alone in a park in Derby ‘ like Rocky Balboa ’ . Amazingly , Meredith will be looking forward to his fifth Wembley appearance if League One giantkillers Bradford can deliver another knockout blow to Reading in Saturday ’ s quarter-final tie at Valley Parade . James Meredith holds of then-Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah during their FA Cup clash in west London . Jon Stead scores in a remarkable performance as the Bantams beat Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge . The 26-year-old Aussie played at the national stadium three times with York City – twice in the FA Trophy final and once in the Conference Play-off final – as well as Bradford ’ s 2013 League Two Play-off final win over Northampton Town in 2013 . But reaching Wembley in the FA Cup after beating Chelsea and Sunderland in the earlier rounds would top the lot . ‘ I ’ ve been to Wembley six times now and played in four of them and they ’ re all fantastic occasions , but this would be even more special because it is the FA Cup , ’ said Meredith . ‘ We don ’ t get the coverage in Australia like you do over here obviously , but everyone follows the FA Cup . Everyone knows it ’ s the biggest domestic cup in the world and the great stories that came out of it , my favourite being the Crazy Gang . ‘ Now it ’ s the quarter-finals , people are starting to get excited . I think it ’ s being shown on Setanta . I know all my family and friends are going to watch it , they ’ ve worked out a way to stream it . They ’ re excited about the game and they ’ re all getting together to have some food and drinks . Meredith , who has played for seven different English sides since moving from Australia , against Sunderland . ‘ One of my best mates flew over for the Chelsea game and it was fantastic because when we scored that fourth goal , somehow I managed to spot him in the away fans and we were cheering really hard at each other . ‘ My dad said if we get to the semi-finals , he ’ ll fly over . It ’ ll probably just be my dad and my brother or sister . The plane tickets aren ’ t cheap. ’ Meredith left his family home in Australia where he lived with his parents , two younger brothers and sister , to travel to England at the age of 16 and sign as an apprentice at Derby County after being spotted at the club ’ s academy in Melbourne . After loan spells at Cambridge United and Chesterfield , it didn ’ t work out at Derby and he went on to have brief spells at Sligo Rovers , Shrewsbury Town and Telford United before joining York . ‘ I signed pro at Derby but then I was released , ’ Meredith recalled . ‘ At that time I really struggled to get a club , like a lot of players do when they have no experience as a professional . The 26-year-old has been to Wembley Stadium six times and played on four of those occasions . Meredith holds off Lukas Podolski during Bradford 's win against Arsenal in the 2012 Capital One Cup . ‘ I was in the country on my own . At one point I was without a club for six months . I was running in a park in Derby every day on my own like Rocky Balboa . ‘ I found it really difficult and I was faced with the decision : do I go back home to Australia or do I really give it a good go and try to make something of myself ? ‘ I decided to give it a good go and I ended up going all the way down to the Conference North . From there , I ’ ve had to work as hard as I can to build my career to get to a notable league to do the best I can for myself. ’ Meredith is not the only one among a Bradford squad that has exceeded all expectations under manager Phil Parkinson . He added : ‘ It ’ s the whole ethos of the club . It ’ s what is bred into us by the management staff . They are tough and hard and they want workers . We ’ re in a working-class city . We have to work hard , do the right thing and look after ourselves properly . That ’ s what has built this team spirit and enthusiasm . ‘ There are no Big-time Charlies at the club , we all work hard for each other . ’
Wembley Stadium City face Reading in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday . If the Bantams win they will be heading to Bradford for the semis . Wembley Stadium defender James Meredith has already played there four times . The Australian has played for seven English ( and one Irish ) clubs . Meredith said next visit would be 'more special ' as it 's the FA Cup .