July 2008, and Manchester City had a UEFA cup qualifying round tie against EB/Streymur of the Faroe Islands. Not a problem, that is until Jon Bon Jovi gets involved. Yes, Bon Jovi had a concert already arranged at the City of Manchester Stadium, and the pitch wasn’t going to be ready in time for the game, so another venue was needed. Local grounds such as Oldham and Bolton were suggested, but eventually it was Barnsley who stepped in.

Having been to many pre-season games with City, a trip to Yorkshire in July to see the blues play wasn’t a new experience. But this was my first visit to Oakwell. Blues fans on my left, a handful of dedicated Streymur fans opposite, and Barnsley fans eager to see UEFA Cup football at heir home to my right made for an interesting atmosphere. Never before had I been to a game with 3 different sets of fans.

City were 2-0 up from the first leg, and healthy scoreline was expected for this leg too. Danny Sturridge, Elano and Darius Vassell all peppered the Streymur goal in the opening few minutes, while Vedran Coruka and Martin Petrov both hit the bar.  A very defensive Streymur managed to keep city at bay though with keeper Rene Torgard making some excellent saves. Half time arrived and it was goalless. While the tie was looking safe, it probably wasn’t Mark Hughes ideal start to his first “home” game as City manager.

Second half started, and City came out quick and strong. An unmarked Martin Petrov scored the first goal a few minutes in after a neat cross from Darius Vassell. Expectation grew but Streymur were resolute. As the tie went on, the pace of the game dropped to that of a pre-season friendly. Darius Vassell eventually got his reward with City’s second goal in injury time making it 2-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate.

A decent night in unfamiliar home surroundings, and a spirited display from the team from the Faroe Islands. Credit to the Streymur fans that came over, and similarly to the City fans that made their way over to the Faroe’s for the first leg (including those that travelled from Scotland on a fishing trawler!).

City Line Up: Hart, Corluka, Dunne, Richards, Ball, Fernandes (Hamann 62), Johnson, Elano, Petrov (Etuhu 69), Vassell, Sturridge (Evans 70).

Photos and videos from the FA Cup Semi Final on 16th April 2011 when City beat United 1-0 with a goal from Yaya Toure.

The City team being announced at Wembley :