Hanson played in the 2013 Football League Cup Final; after the match, he said he believed Bradford City would return to Wembley via the League Two play-offs. Hanson scored two goals in the next three League matches, reaching 10 goals for the season, and later that month he stated that the club had to win both forthcoming Easter games. In April 2013, Hanson spoke of the "buzz" around the club as they mounted a play-off challenge. On 5 May, he scored a vital goal in the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Burton Albion, helping Bradford overcome a 3–2 deficit from the home leg to win the game 3–1 and the tie 5–4 on aggregate. In the Final at Wembley, Hanson scored in a 3–0 victory against Northampton Town, and later spoke about how he was looking forward to playing in a higher division.