Two points lost – now the focus is on cup

IT was disappointing for Manchester City to drop two points at Fulham, having led 2-0 at Craven Cottage only to be pegged back to 2-2.

We were ahead and looking quite comfortable, but when Bobby Zamora halved the deficit the hosts stepped up a gear and, following Danny Murphy’s equaliser, the momentum was with Martin Jol’s side.

The positives were that Sergio Aguero scored a brace and that we did not lose the match when we were up against it.

Our Carling Cup campaign gets under way tomorrow night when Birmingham visit the Etihad Stadium.

Myself and the rest of the kit department have our work cut out because tomorrow morning there will be one squad training at Carrington and the match-day squad training at the stadium, so we have two big groups of players to sort out.

Some of the younger lads will hope to get a chance if the manager decides to rest the more established players.

I can’t say I am an expert on the youth team, but from the limited amount of action I have seen I do like the look of centre-half Karim Rekik, of the Netherlands.

Hopefully, he will continue to progress and eventually make the breakthrough.

Elsewhere, Chelsea striker Fernando Torres made the majority of the headlines with one of the most bizarre misses I have ever seen in the 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Having sprung the offside trap and rounded goalkeeper David De Gea, the Spaniard inexplicably snatched his shot wide of an entirely open net.

Torres was under no pressure, the defenders were not close enough to get in a challenge and he could have taken at least one more touch.

Earlier in the game he produced a brilliant finish to give the Londoners a glimmer of hope — but people will remember the miss, not the goal.




MY family and I are very proud of my daughter, Suzy, who was named coach of the year at the National Netball Goalden Globes at a ceremony in Leicester.



The awards acknowledge the achievements of the country’s best volunteers, and I am so pleased Suzy’s efforts at Fiat Superleague side Northern Thunder have been recognised.

Her coaching role involves a lot of hard work and travel, but she loves it.

Suzy was surprised and delighted to win the North-West award back in May, so being handed the national prize must have been an unbelievable feeling.