What a week to be a city fan. On paper, two tough games cough up the glorious sum of four points. The first, a thrilling midweek victory against Everton, was followed by a battling point against man City’s multi-million assembled band of ‘stars’ thanks to Jimmy Bullard’s late penalty.

While City showed on Wednesday that they could win without their cockney talisman, Bullard’s return was still greeted with delight by the travelling fans, as part of a team that looked set up to ‘have a go’. I was expecting Phil Brown to field a more negative side, but the Tigers boss managed to incorporate both Geo and Bullard into a 4-4-2 formation, with Geo playing alongside the ever-improving Jozy Altidore.

It was a curious match, with Man City’s big names enjoying plenty of possession, without ever really looking like scoring. That was until just before half time of course, when Shaun Wright-Phillips scored with a deflected shot. It was a shame Gardner blotted his copybook with the deflection, as he’s been excellent this season. The shot was heading straight for Duke in the Tigers goal.

City carried on much the same in the second period; keeping Man City at bay without really threatening Shay Given’s goal, other than a terrific move with resulted in Garcia’s loft shot being cleared on the Line. It was at this point I though Brown was missing a trick, in that we weren’t really taking advantage of the huge amounts of space Man City were leaving in behind their back four. Wayne Bridge has been the Citizen’s weak link in the past month or so, so I’d have like to have seen Ghilas or Mendy on the pitch to test him out with their pace.

But whatever the tactics, City nicked a late point with a slightly dubious penalty. I initially though it was handball, but replays showed the referee had spotted a slight nudge on Venegoor of Hesselink. The celebrations after Bullard’s spot kick were fabulous, and the perfect way to draw a line under an incident that has been much overblown by lazy national journalists.

So, a fantastic display, and hugely encouraging signs for the rest of the season. If we can keep Bullard fit, we must have a great chance of staying up this year. There’s still a long way to go, and some tough fixtures on the immediate horizon. But if City can show that tenacity, heart and bravery when in possession, then the possibility of points coming against more of the bigger in the division cannot be discounted.

What do you think? Do you think City will cruise to safety? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers
TC