IT should be one of those rare occasions in sport tonight when both sets of supporters sing from the same hymn sheet.

Phil Parkinson led Wrexham back to the Football League last April and Reds fans will never forget that.

He also took Bradford City to the League Cup final before leading The Bantams to promotion where supporters of the West Yorkshire side celebrated in great numbers at Wembley.

Mark Hughes has won virtually everything in the game and the Wrexham-born former Manchester United and Chelsea star striker returns to a ground that holds special memories for him.

Hughes, brought up in Ruabon, used to watch The Reds from The Kop and scored one of the most iconic goals in international football when he smashed home a trademark acrobatic volley at The Racecourse in 1985 as Wales stunned Spain 3-0 in front of a packed-out 23,494 crowd.

Tonight the two icons meet in the second round of the League Cup and both are looking forward to going head-to-head.

“Mark is obviously well respected in the area and I’m sure he will get a great reception from our supporters,” said Parkinson, who managed Bradford from 2011 to 2016.

“You can’t not look forward to night games at The Racecourse where we’ll have another full house.

“It will be great to come up against Mark and there are lots of connections in the game and everybody is going to be really excited about it.”

Hughes has managed against his home-town club, leading his Stoke City side to a 3-1 FA Cup win at The Britannia Stadium in 2015.

He was also in charge as The Potters won 1-0 in a pre-season friendly 10 years where ex-Wrexham striker Jon Walters scored the only goal.

But it’s his days with Wales Hughes remembers most and he told The Bradford Telegraph and Argus: “I made my debut for Wales at the Racecourse Ground, scored my first goal at the Racecourse Ground, played against England as a schoolboy at the Racecourse Ground - there are a lot of elements.

“There’s not so much a connection to the club, although I used to go and watch them, but more the ground itself.

“I scored arguably one of my better goals there that probably got me my move to Barcelona!”

“I was a Wrexham fan, I probably still am because all of my family are from there. I like to see the city do well.

“If the football club does well, that has an impact on the population of the place.

“My in-laws and mother and step-father live in the area as well. My wife is from Wrexham so there’s a connection.

“But it’s probably more a connection with the ground itself. A lot of the moments of my career were actually there.”

Hughes was back at the ground last season as part of BBC’s Match of the Day team who covered the Reds’ thrilling 3-3 FA Cup Third round clash with Sheffield United.

He met Reds’ movie-star co-owner Ryan Reynolds that day and admits to being a big fan of ‘The Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary, whose second series hits the screens next month.

“I’ve watched it and I think I know most people on it!” added Hughes. “It’s only a small town, or city now.

“It’s clearly shaped for the American market but it’s still enjoyable to watch. I’ve obviously got an interest in it because I recognise the place when they go walking round the town.”

Despite all the positive vibes, both managers will be going all out to knock the other side out tonight and hopefully draw a plum home tie in the third round.

Reds boss Parkinson fondly remembers the run that saw Bradford go all the way to the League Cup final 10 years ago.

The Bantams claimed the scalps of Arsenal and Aston Villa, among others, to reach the League Cup final where they were beaten 5-0 by top-flight Swansea City.

It was an adventure that ended with Parkinson being rewarded with the Outstanding Managerial Achievement award.

“We beat Arsenal, and we beat Aston Villa over two legs in the semi-final which was the big one to reach the final,” said Parkinson.

“I was the first manager ever to take a fourth tier team to a Wembley final - and not many English managers have got to a major final.

“It was an incredible run.

“We came unstuck in the final against an outstanding Swansea team but we were a team of League Two players up against a multi-million pound team.

“It didn’t go our way but the occasion is still something I will never forget.”

A few months later and Bradford were back at Wembley for the League Two play-off final against Northampton Town.

“We beat Northampton in the play-off final so I have won at Wembley,” said Parkinson

“When I won as a manager at Wembley, I remember sitting on the coach thinking ‘it is great being at Wembley but it is even better to win at Wembley’.”