THE Wembley flag draped over the radiator was proof of Luke Hendrie’s City affinity.

He had forgotten that the keepsake from the 2013 Capital One Cup final was still in his bedroom when he moved back home after joining the Bantams in August.

That loan from Burnley seemed the natural precursor to a permanent deal with the club he grew up supporting.

Instead, his exit five months later, on the eve of City’s FA Cup defeat at Yeovil, continues to be held up as the tipping point in a season that has plunged from the sublime to the ridiculous.

On Thursday, Hendrie will be back at his beloved Valley Parade – with high-flying Shrewsbury. Dad John and family will be sat in the RIASA box with Mark Ellis, for once following the away team.

“You’ve got to put your loyalties to one side,” said the defender. “But it will be different.”

The season has certainly panned out very differently to how he had anticipated when Burnley loaned him out. A promotion finale is still very much on the cards for the 23-year-old – but not in the claret and amber that he had worn with such pride.

Hendrie admitted: “I’ve played with England when I was younger, signing for Man United was an unbelievable feeling and to make my league debut was what I dreamt of since I first kicked a ball.

“But playing for Bradford was by far the best moment of my career to date. It will stick with me for the rest of my life.

“I have that affiliation with the club through my dad and the history he had here, obviously with the fire.

“I started at Bradford and then moved to Man U. But every time I walked out at Valley Parade, it was a different feeling to anywhere else.

“I always felt really proud being from the area because there weren’t many local lads. I like to think I was also someone the lads in the academy and the under-23s could look up to because I’d started there.”

Stuart McCall loved Hendrie for his versatility; he played six different positions in his 18 appearances.

So, the manner of Hendrie’s sudden departure – a “bolt from the blue” – came as a shock.

The version of events has been disputed and the player himself chooses his words carefully. But he still admits to a huge disappointment that his City dreams were dashed.

“The manager made it clear what he wanted and I was looking forward to signing for the club I supported,” he added.

“I’d not played in every game but I thought I offered something to the squad and was a good influence on the younger lads.

“Every game, I was like a fan. I wanted the boys to win and was kicking every ball on the bench.

“I’ve heard certain things said about the situation and my agent. But there were three parties in it, Bradford, Burnley and myself.

“When you’re a footballer, you’ve got to go where you feel wanted and valued. It’s nothing to do with financial gains.

“It was my first permanent move to a first team.

“Stuart made me feel wanted but, for one reason or another, it didn’t happen. I was absolutely devastated the way it ended.

“I went down to Yeovil in the hope that something would happen. But Burnley and Bradford couldn’t come to an agreement.

“It was the worst feeling ever. I wanted to stay for longer, I’d played my part in the wins at Wigan and Shrewsbury and the back-to-back games over new year.

“After that, I was pretty confident that something would get sorted. It was a bolt out of the blue on the Friday.

“So, having talked to the staff and board at Shrewsbury, I just felt that would be the most positive move.

“But you’ll never know what will happen in the future. One day, maybe I could go back to Bradford and do well. But at the moment, it’s all about Shrewsbury Town and doing my best for them.”

Hendrie learned plenty in his half-season at Valley Parade, crediting Matt Kilgallon and Tony McMahon for passing on their knowledge of how to cope with the “pressure and expectation” of playing for a club where “you had to win every game”.

He has huge admiration for the work that McCall did and was gutted to see him go a month later.

Hendrie said: “Stuart always said we were punching above our weight and it just goes to show now what a great job he actually did.

“The previous season probably piled more expectation on him, especially with the new owners coming in.

“He was a real ‘players manager’. He was the life and soul, a really funny guy, and had a great relationship with all his players – nobody had a bad word to say about him.

“When we were in Yeovil in the hotel, it was a mad day. Telling Stuart that I was moving elsewhere was really tough to do.

“It’s hard to put your finger on what’s gone wrong for Bradford. On the outside looking in, obviously there are certain issues that people may not know about.

“But it’s a shame because they’ve got some good players. There were people really on top of their game in the first half of the season and doing well.

“Everything is geared towards going up to the next level but it’s strange how everything’s happened.”