MANCHESTER CITY vs SCUNTHORPE UNITED
Since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, many fans of supposedly ‘smaller’ clubs have complained- and rightly so- of a monopoly where the riches of an elite few disabled their clubs from competing. How, even in 2009, could Aston Villa, Sunderland or Everton make a genuine assault on the top four with measly budgets of £40million?
Well, if their complaints are warranted and genuine, spare a thought for Scunthorpe United. The Irons are worlds away from even the poorest Premier clubs. Their highest transfer fee paid to date is £425,000. The highest attendance at Glanford Park, 8,921, is a record achieved only last week against Newcastle United. Perhaps those clubs bemoaning the ‘harsh reality’ of only ever being capable of competing for the Europa League should take a broader perspective. A second Championship spell in the space of three years is a golden era for this football club, who have never been in the top division, nor lifted a trophy.
City and Scunthorpe have only met on five occasions, one of which was already played this season- a comprehensive 5-1 win at Eastlands sent City through to the Carling Cup Quarter-Final. In fact, the Blues have won each game quite comfortably. A first meeting at Maine Road in 1963 saw an 8-1 home demolition and in the return leg that season, there was to be no revenge for the Iron as City took home the points with a convincing 4-2 victory. Eleven years later, the two sides met again at Maine Road in the League Cup- 6-0 the end result with a certain Colin Bell bagging a hat-trick to help City on their way to the final. It would be 32 years before another meeting, when in 2006 Scunthorpe had the opportunity to visit the City of Manchester Stadium for the first time in an FA Cup third round encounter. The away side took the league to the dismay of the home crowd but Robbie Fowler came off the bench to score a hat-trick and seal another Blues win.
hat trick heroes
Histories and statuses aside, what can we expect from our North Lincolnshire guests tomorrow evening? They are currently 20th in the Championship after a reasonably good start came to a halt with a series of disappointing defeats. Nonetheless, survival is very much the target for Scunthorpe so as it stands, four points clear of the relegation zone, they’ll be content.
Naturally, the home side will compete ferociously from the first whistle tomorrow and compensate for their lesser ability with 100% determination. This tactic has often proved costly for bigger clubs in Cup competitions- notably this season with Leeds and Reading dumping United and Liverpool out in the third round- where foreign stars have found the aggressive approach difficult to overcome. Roberto Mancini will have to make his players aware of the aggressive nature of the game and pour cold water over any
complacency, and his pre-match press conference suggests he’s fully aware of that.
Mancini and Kidd need to get their heads together
Speaking on City’s official website, Mancini said “We must remember what happened between Liverpool and Reading, and United and Leeds as well. If we think about what happened in those two games, then we can go to Scunthorpe and make sure we win. It’s a small ground, they will be strong because they are at home but we will have to be at our best and do what we can.”
Scunthorpe boss Nigel Adkins, meanwhile, believes anything is possible on the day.
“On paper, Manchester City should beat Scunthorpe United and on grass, at the City of Manchester Stadium, they’ve already beaten us. Although we were level at 1-1 at one stage, in the second half the quality of the players they have told and they ran out worthy winners in that game.
“But we’re at home, we’re at Glanford Park, it’s the drama of the FA Cup. The competition has a rich history and it’s a game we’re looking forward to. Can we make it a thrilling cup tie? This is the first time Scunthorpe United have been on terrestrial television.
“There will be a full stadium here. Can we make it an exciting occasion for everyone to thoroughly enjoy? From the football club’s point of view we’ve already won because from a financial point of view for our football club to get to the fourth round of both cup competitions is magnificent and that helps keep ups progressing with the finances that brings.
“To have played Manchester City twice in both cup competitions is exciting for our supporters. This time we’re at home and our fans can enjoy seeing the big names up close.”
The FA Cup- So far
Scunthorpe faced fellow Championship strugglers Barnsley at Glanford Park in the third round, going through 1-0 thanks to a second half strike from Paul Hayes. City, meanwhile, overcame Middlesbrough at the Riverside after Benjani slotted home coolly from ten yards.
Key players-
Gary Hooper, who scored 30 goals last season in the Irons’ charge for promotion, will look to exploit any weakness in the City backline to further increase his burgeoning reputation. 29 year-old Grant McCann will look to orchestrate from the middle. His exceptional vision and passing range could prove another thorn in City’s side and he will have to be watched closely.
For City, one might reasonably expect key players such as Carlos Tevez, Craig Bellamy and Nigel de Jong to be rested with Wednesday night in mind, and with Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Adebayor, Joleon Lescott, Wayne Bridge, Roque Santa Cruz all definitely missing the encounter, it will be an opportunity for the likes of Stephen Ireland to stake a claim in Mancini’s new look side. The Irishman was phenomenal throughout last season but injuries and loss of form have prevented the playmaker from pushing on. His last goal came against this very side in the Carling Cup win in October- a repeat of that after a four week absence would do just fine.
Dedryck Boyata performed admirably against United last Tuesday given his inexperience- this game is an ideal learning curve for the Belgian youngster and I expect him to do well. Excellent in the air with a good positional sense and strong in the tackle, Boyata has so far settled into first team life seamlessly.
That’s my Boyata
This game will be no walk in the park for City and they will need to show good strength, mentally as much as physically, and battling qualities to progress. I can envisage a frustrating start, but the Blues’ greater fitness levels and technical ability will shine through in the end.
Prediction- Scunthorpe United 0-2 Manchester City
Thanks to Colin The King of ManCityFans.Net for writing this excellent FA Cup preview.