Shrewsbury fans of a certain vintage had been awaiting this day for 26 long years.

Ever since Graham Turner walked out of Gay Meadow for the last time to take up residence at Villa Park, they have prayed that one day he would return.

His appointment as Paul Simpson’s successor at the Greenhous Meadow was well received by most – and now those too young to remember him first time around might just have some idea of what all the fuss has been about.

Turner has built a new team from the ground up over the summer, giving debuts to eight players in his starting line-up.

Not that a neutral would ever have guessed as, after a slow start, they ran rings around nPower League Two promotion favourites Bradford – even taking the 68th minute dismissal of Kevin McIntyre in their stride.

“It was always going to be a nervy day for me,” said Turner.

“The expectations are so high but I think that, with the way the result has gone and the way the performance has gone – the excitement at times in our play – it could hardly have gone better.”

The pace and threat of wingers Mark Wright and Lionel Ainsworth had the home fans on the edge of their seats – though it was striker Jake Robinson who stole the plaudits.

Robinson was one of just three players – along with McIntyre and Craig Disley – from last season’s squad to make the first XI.

And he repaid that show of faith with a brilliant hat-trick that saw him match his League goals tally of the last campaign in one afternoon.

Few would have guessed in the early stages how it would work out though, with Bradford making the more composed start.

They took a deserved 23rd minute lead when Norwich loanee Thomas Adeyemi marked his Bantams debut with the opener.

Adeyemi capitalised on Town skipper Ian Sharps’ failure to clear a James Hanson flick-on, reacting quickest to steer the ball past new keeper Ben Smith.

Peter Taylor’s side could easily have doubled their lead soon after, Gareth Evans hitting the post off a Robbie Threlfall corner.

Shrewsbury needed a quick reply and they got it just on 34 minutes, Robinson with his first when he pounced after Bradford No 1 Jon McLaughlin had spilled Wright’s in-swinging left corner.

Bradford’s angry players surrounded the referee appealing for a foul on the keeper, but they had no case – replays clearly show McLaughlin having stumbled against one of his own team-mates.

At that stage, the game looked anyone’s – but Town upped the ante in the second half with a sustained spell of fast, furious and expansive attacking play.

They had already had chances to claim the lead by the time Robinson got on the end of a peach of a cross from Ainsworth six minutes after the re-start to direct a perfect header into the top corner.

“I think that’s only my second headed goal in my seven years in the game, but I’ll take them however they come,” the diminutive 23-year-old declared.

Robinson saved his best for last, making it three with a delightful lob as he latched on to strike partner Matt Harrold’s headed flick-on.

“I hit it and I knew it was going in straight away, but I expect everyone else was nervous as it was bouncing down,” he said.

“It’s just a fantastic feeling, a hat-trick, it doesn’t happen very often and you just have to enjoy these moments when they come.”

At that stage Shrewsbury were threatening to run riot, though there was still one further sting in the tail.

That came as McIntyre received his marching orders with a quarter of the game still to go, the experienced midfielder foolishly kicking out at Bradford substitute Lewis Moult in retaliation for a poor tackle.

It’s credit to Town for the way they dealt with their numerical disadvantage, and the arrival off the bench of ninth debutant Sean McAllister certainly helped them keep possession.

They never looked like letting Bradford back into the game.

Nothing was going to spoil this homecoming party.