City have plenty to play for

The City kit boss and former Latics star writes every week for Chron Sport

MANCHESTER City failed to do enough against a fired-up Everton team, going down 2-0 at Goodison Park.

In truth we struggled for long spells against a team whipped up by boss David Moyes, who got the reaction he was looking for following their 3-0 loss to Wigan in the FA Cup.

We cannot dwell for too long on Marouane Fellaini's handball in the dying minutes. Yes, it was inside the penalty area and we were awarded only a free-kick.

But Everton had a very strong shout for a spot-kick of their own, which wasn't given, and they had a perfectly legitimate effort wrongly ruled out for offside early on, so it more than evened itself out.

All we can do after the international period is keep going and do our best in the remaining fixtures, starting with Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium.

The Magpies have endured a difficult campaign following last season's superb fifth-place finish, which took a lot of people off guard. Alan Pardew's men have too much quality to be relegated and only need a few more points, so I can't see them heading for the trapdoor.

They've had a few injuries this term and were unlucky against Wigan last time, so they will pose a threat on March 30.

We have to keep giving our all for the cause between now and the end of the season, and there is also a trip to Wembley on the horizon in the FA Cup.