Out of the FA Cup: Manchester City 3 Aston Villa 0

All things considered, we only lost 3-0, so you could argue we are getting better and actually, there were some positives.

For most of the game we had a fairly experimental side with the likes of Delph at left back, Herd at right back, the Fonz on the right wing and Bannan in the middle.

Add to that we had Gabby on the left wing, Clark in the middle and Michael Bradley starting in midfield and the result was better than the team that played here back in December and lost 4-0, so be unhappy with the result, just like me, but we should take it in our stride.

Reiteration carries conviction

I'm making the point about the players we played because it was pretty clear before kick off what the manager had in mind.

Yes, I was optimistically confident (I hope I can use those two words together) before the game, but we could be playing the Academy team and I'd still have that belief. You see, at times, I can be overly optimistic when it comes to the football.

But, we lost and nobody likes to lose, but can we move on from this very quickly instead of letting it wind us up?

I mean, the FA Cup, while a lovely tournament and one I'd desperately like to see us win in my lifetime, it is a lottery and asking a bit much for us at the moment.

But that is the real me writing that and while I thought we could win before the match, it was going to take something special and when I saw the team, I knew it was going to take something a little bit more than that, so I've moved on.

But I will say, the likes of Herd, Delph, Bannan, Clark and The Fonz, can not be faulted for effort and that game would have taught them a lot and I know it gets said a lot, but if we can keep them, we really do have a bright future.

And on that note, I'm going to leave you. I have a hot toddy to drink and I'm off to do some work.