Manchester City fans protested outside Maine Road before the match and the match had started in a very toxic atmosphere with the rumours of a take over rife, crowd chanting previous manager Peter Reid’s name as well as unhappy striker Nial Quinn looking disinterested on the pitch.
But City took lead in the 18th minutes, ironically from Quinn. The big centre forward tapped home the rebound after Sheron had run at McDonald and shot against the near post. Ferdinand and Impey, who was fast enough to keep pace with Terry Phelan, were both booked for the force of their protests. Both the players hit the woodwork in the match and a couple of disastrous mistakes from the goalkeeper Tony Roberts gifted the home side two more goals to cap off a frustrating day for the visitors.