Mark Trueman praised the efforts of his "brave" young Bantams, after they booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.
City advanced thanks to a penalty shoot-out victory over category-one Stoke City, following a 3-3 draw in 120 minutes.
Trueman offered respect to the opposition, but believes his players' game-management skills saw them claim a memorable victory.
He stated: "We have got to respect our opposition, who are a good team with great players.
"We knew we were not going to have the ball as much as we would have liked.
"Therefore, we talked about managing the game in stages and I thought the players handled it terrifically.
"The main things for us were to keep pressure on the ball, not allow them to have a lot of time and space and obviously get the goals - which we did.
"The performance was great - particularly in the first half - and the effort we put into the game was brilliant.
"It showed the character in every single one of them and the running they had to do, especially with lads like Harvey Rowe - who is an under-16 - handling the pressure against some talented players.
"For them to keep psychologically switched on and focused until the end was a credit to the players, who are a credit to their club.
"We came out with the win and playing against better players is great for the experience and development, which is what we are after, here."
Progression meant a trip to either Chelsea or Huddersfield Town awaits Trueman's side in round four.
Despite the potential of an exciting trip down to West London, City's lead professional development coach is happy to play either side.
Trueman added: "The players' answer will obviously be Chelsea, but I am not bothered who we get.
"Huddersfield are a good team and have got some decent players.
"A local derby will be another great test for us but, whoever we draw, we will be prepared for every round and will work even harder.
"Hopefully, we can get another good result. Then, who knows how far we can get in this competition?"