City, FA Cup Winners 2011

So pop quiz hot shot. What do these four dates have in common? April 23rd 1904, April 28th 1934, May 5th 1956 and April 26th 1969? Answer? They were all dates in history when the ONLY team to come from Manchester won the most prestigious club cup competition in history, the FA Cup. Now City fans can add May 14th 2011 to that list as on this day Manchester City ended their 35 year wait for silverware with one power strike from Yaya Toure.
City arrived at Wembley in good spirits, having already secured at least fourth spot in the English Premier league and with that the chance of Champions League football next season. This being the highest finish ever in the Premiership and the highest in the top flight since the 1976-77 season. This still with two games to go and third spot still within reach.
City welcomed back Captain fantastic Carlos Tevez from injury and from the first whistle it was all Blue going forward. City had a number of good chances with Toure shooting just wide from long range, Balotelli forcing a great save from Sorensen and Tevez shooting straight at the Stoke keeper, who spilt then collected the ball. However the best chance fell to Spanish sensation David Silva who only yards from goal uncharacteristically drilled the ball into the ground and watched it go harmlessly over the bar. It was at this point, I must confess, that I started to worry for our beloved Blues. As you all know, City haven’t the best history against Stoke. Also add the fact that with the FA Cup sometimes it is the lucky team that wins it and you could argue a case for Stoke to snatch it and Manchester City to yet again be held up and made fun of. (Just think of the headlines as United lifted the Premier title!)
Second half seemed more of the same with Tevez on a break laying a ball into the path of an unmarked Silva in acres of space, only for the ball to get caught up in his feet. Stoke had been left to try long throws into the box until Jones was put through one on one with Joe Hart. However Hart made himself big in front of goal and Jones could only see his shot rebound off the City keeper. That would be their best chance and it was City who then took the lead. Persistence in the box saw the ball fall at the feet of Yaya Toure who rifled the shot into the back of the Stoke net. It was his goal that got us to the final and defeated United, it was his goal that saw blue ribbons placed on the cup that was placed in Carlos Tevez’s hands. City were lifting their first major silverware since 1976 and I was over the Blue Moon!!