Hughes looking to the future

Man City 1, Bolton W 0


IT WAS more about looking to the future than dwelling on the past as Manchester City defeated Bolton Wanderers yesterday at Eastlands in their final Premier League match of an eventful campaign.

Manager Mark Hughes was speaking about taking City to the next level as he is set to embark upon a massive summer spending spree courtesy of their mega-rich backers from Abu Dhabi.

Asked whether that constituted a challenge for a top-four Champions League place, Hughes was more forthcoming saying City have their sights set on a top-six finish which is a realistic goal next-time round.

One of the ironies about yesterday was that City’s match-winning goal came from a player - Felipe Caicedo - who is one of the likeliest to lose out this summer.

The 20-year-old striker from Ecuador would probably not have started yesterday had Craig Bellamy been available or had Valeri Bojinov and Benjani only just returned after lengthy injury lay-offs.

But if Caicedo, bought a year last January by Sven-Goran Eriksson for £5million, is to lose out he is determined to leave in a blaze of glory.

Yesterday was his eighth goal of the campaign with all scored from mid-December since when he has featured more prominently. Indeed, he finished the campaign with seven successive starts, his most prolonged run in the team.

“He is not the finished article, but he has potential and he has shown he has an eye for goal and made his mark,” explained Hughes.

The goal came in the ninth minute following what appeared a well rehearsed free kick involving Robinho, Stephen Ireland and Micah Richards whose overhead kick across the face of goal was turned in by Caicedo from close range.

The surprise was that it was the only goal of what was effectively a meaningless match between two mid-table teams.

All City had to play for was to pick up at least one point which guaranteed a top-10 finish, scant consolation after missing out on a place in the inaugural Europa League.

It was not for the want of trying as Robinho was denied by the upright and a superb save from Bolton’s Finnish keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen while Shaun Wright-Phillips, making a surprise return after a seven match lay off with a knee injury, sent a number of efforts fizzing narrowly wide.

Bolton had a couple of strong shouts for penalties turned down in the opening half, but they offered little attack wise.

There was even the chance for Hughes to show his charitable side - he described it as being “soft” - as teenager Vladimir Weiss and Glauber Berti were both handed their first-team debuts in the latter stages.

Weiss, a winger from Slovakia, was a member of City’s FA Youth Cup winner side of 2008 while Brazilian defender Berti ended a marathon run of 20 appearances on the bench as an unused substitute.

Berti came on for the final five minutes and further three of added time and he received a tumultuous cheer every time he touched the ball with Hughes saying he has been a model professional and he deserved his chance.