Sunday Morning
A win, whoever it's against, is always a boost and we certainly needed one against Colchester even though it was no classic. I can't say that I'm filled with hope about this afternoon's encounter though last season we put up a decent show against the top opposition; Chelsea excluded, and generally did badly against our peers. Wigan were looking like this season's punch-bags and they were the only side in our immediate program that you'd have fancied us getting three points from but they managed a good away win yesterday and the next month's possible points haul started to look even smaller. I'm in an internet limbo and so I've no idea what our line-up will be but Mensah wasn't getting any mentions last time I heard and I would've been much happier to see him in there to do the great job he did on Tevez in last season's encounter. Zenden should play as he makes things happen for us, as he's demonstrated admirably in the last two games. I think it could go two ways; a battling high-scoring draw or a heavy defeat. On the transfer front, I'd be very happy to see Gyan in our attack and the fact that he'd be joining a side containing his national team captain must surely be an influence on him. If he does come, I trust someone will tell him about passing the ball as though he was sometimes an effective attacker in the World Cup, I think Ghana would have scored a few more if he hadn't tried to take on entire defences and had passed to his wingers instead. I certainly hope we don't get Carlton Cole.

The Match
As the four minutes of stoppage-time at the end of ninety minutes was announced there was a collective groan all around me but while I continued looking at the clock every twenty seconds as it ticked slowly towards a 0-0 draw suddenly we were awarded a penalty for a clumsy foul on Bent and the world began to look very rosy indeed. When he'd duly put the ball into the net a tremendous explosion of joy erupted on all sides and continued after the final whistle eventually sounded. This result was really beyond most of our wildest dreams and the manner of the performance was even more pleasing. From the start all of our players displayed a tenacity that was largely absent in last Saturday's game and we hardly allowed a team of City's obvious quality any time to settle. When they had good chances, notably Tevez after fifteen minutes and Yaya Toure in first half stoppage time, they somehow managed to miss them and ten minutes from the end Mignolet made a blinding save from a close-range effort by Adebayor that showed he could deal with the best when necessary. Apart from one moment early on when he fluffed a cross, he played very well and my mate even suggested that Gordon will have to fight for his place when he returns to full fitness. I complained last week that our players weren't running with the ball at West Brom's defence but today there was much evidence of this with the mighty Steed being the main protaganist. Apart from creating endless chances he managed another crowd-lifting nutmeg and even headed narrowly over at one point. Al Mohammadi also looked great most of the time and is now doing what Hutton was doing for us last season i.e. getting down the right flank and blamming in dangerous crosses. I'd hardly noticed him last week but he was a powerful presence today and I'm sure we can look forward to a lot more from him. Richardson, Henderson and new boy Welbeck all attacked the City defence regularly and they were getting rattled. The much-maligned, sometimes by me, Ferdinand played well in defence and his fellow defenders also barely gave the opposition an inch, especially Tevez who often had two or three of our players snapping at his heels. So, all in all, a much-improved performance and hopefully a sign of things to come. With a two-week break to allow our squad to heal (I don't know how badly Turner and Campbell were injured today but they were both on the deck for several minutes and didn't return after the break) and to add one or two new players, things are looking a lot brighter than they were a few hours ago. I'm on the train heading back to Sin City and the happy conversation of my fellow London Branch members is rolling around the carriage while the sun is setting over Hartlepool. Bring on Wigan.

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