Sunday 21st November 2010 (Premier League)
Fulham 1 (Gera 70) Manchester City 4 (Tevez 6, Zabaleta 32, Yaya Toure 35, Tevez 56)
Attendance: 25,694 |
An hour and a quarter to kickoff and the away support is out in force
at Craven Cottage © Stephen Taylor
|
If the day's special guest wasn't enough, Manchester City had enough stars in their side to fill the darkest of nights. Carlos Tevez, David Silva, Gareth Barry, Adam Johnson, Joe Hart, the list is endless.
This season, they had been a bit inconsistent so far, with some great performances countered by a few very ordinary outings. Today would be one of their most impressive performances of the campaign, with Tevez in imperious form and Hart providing a solid last line of defence.
I have followed Hart's career with great interest, as he was born and went to school in Shrewsbury, my home town, and played for Shrewsbury Town before moving to City four years ago. As I was positioned next to the pitch today, I wasn't able to see very much of the football action, at all.
However, I was well-positioned to see Hart warming up with Massimo Battara, City's goalkeeping coach, Shay Given and Stuart Taylor before the game. For a 23-year-old, and one who is 11 and six years younger than Given and Taylor, respectively, Hart is a supremely confident young man. He was cracking on with most of his team-mates --though not quite so much with Given, perhaps for obvious reasons—and showed his disregard for authority by discarding the wooden sign that the Fulham groundsman always places in the goalmouth before every game, requesting that goalkeepers use the specially placed temporary goalposts set up near the corner flag rather than the actual six-yard-box, and proceeded to continue warming up between the "match-day" goalposts.
This season, they had been a bit inconsistent so far, with some great performances countered by a few very ordinary outings. Today would be one of their most impressive performances of the campaign, with Tevez in imperious form and Hart providing a solid last line of defence.
 |
Joe Hart warms up before Manchester City's game against Fulham
at Craven Cottage on 21st November 2010 © Stephen Taylor |
However, I was well-positioned to see Hart warming up with Massimo Battara, City's goalkeeping coach, Shay Given and Stuart Taylor before the game. For a 23-year-old, and one who is 11 and six years younger than Given and Taylor, respectively, Hart is a supremely confident young man. He was cracking on with most of his team-mates --though not quite so much with Given, perhaps for obvious reasons—and showed his disregard for authority by discarding the wooden sign that the Fulham groundsman always places in the goalmouth before every game, requesting that goalkeepers use the specially placed temporary goalposts set up near the corner flag rather than the actual six-yard-box, and proceeded to continue warming up between the "match-day" goalposts.
 |
Joe Hart warms up before Manchester City's game against Fulham
at Craven Cottage on 21st November 2010 © Stephen Taylor |
No comments:
Post a Comment