Stockport v Manchester City 2001/02

City Nash, Wiekens, Pearce, Howey, Dunne, Wright-Phillips, Benarbia, Horlock, Jensen, Macken, Goater – subs Sun(unused), Huckerby(unused), Mettomo(45), Royce(unused), Ritchie(unused)

Stockport Dibble, Clare, Palmer, Challinor, Gibb, Hardiker, Briggs, Mclachlan, Thomas, Beckett, Williams – sub Welsh(51), Byrne(72), Wild(unused), Fradin(unused), Turner(unused)

…I was headed for my first early bath for City. I had got a little caught up in the Derby atmosphere as we took on Stockport at Edgeley Park. We had been under a bit of pressure and I was on the back post as a cross came over. Carlo Nash was caught off his line and a looping header came in. I reached up, thinking “I don’t want this ball to go in” and hit the ball with my hand, then tumbled into the back of the net. I had not heard Stuart Pearce shouting right behind me. I was sent off for the first time in my career, but Stockport missed the penalty, not that it mattered because we lost 2-1. Keegan laid in to me as though I had cost us an FA Cup final, and said he would have preferred to be 1-0 down with eleven men, but it all happened in a split second and I still do not know why I stuck my hand up. I apologised to the lads, but Keegan said “Sorry is not good enough”. I switched off because I knew his angle would be negative rather than constructive. If you’re a player whom the manager likes he will forgive you in a situation like that, but I never got that from him. EXTRACT FROM FEED THE GOAT BY SHAUN GOATER AND DAVID CLAYTON