Pearce reveals ‘hardest managerial decision’ as Blues clinch quarter-final spot

Preston 1 Manchester City 3

Goals from Michael Ball – his first for the club – Georgios Samaras and Stephen Ireland – sealed an emphatic victory. Yet City boss Pearce must have feared the worst when David Nugent opened the scoring for the Coca-Cola Championship side.

However Preston did not look the same after striker Michael Ricketts was carried off and taken to hospital for X-rays on what appeared to be a damaged shoulder. Afterwards City manager Stuart Pearce revealed that bringing back goalkeeper Nicky Weaver at the expense of Andreas Isaksson had been “the hardest decision of my managerial life”.

Weaver responded with a superb show after recovering from bruised kidneys. The shot-stopper’s marvellous block from Michael Ricketts with City trailing to David Nugent’s 17th goal of the season proved crucial. Pearce saw his side re-group and clinch a place in the quarter-final draw today.

The City boss said: “Choosing the goalkeeper was the hardest decision I have ever had to make as a manager.

“Normally I know my team on Wednesday or Thursday but I didn’t this time. I left it until after training on Friday.

“I called them both over for a chat. Credit to Andreas, he took the decision like a proper professional.

“I just felt Nicky had that many games behind him it would be difficult to leave him out. He kept us in it at 1-0 with a good save and I was pleased for him.”

Pearce thought City deserved to progress at the expense of the high-flying Coca-Cola Championship side.

He said: “I thought we started extremely brightly and their goal came against the run of play. It was always going to be tough but over 90 minutes we deserved to win the tie.

“My team showed character after going a goal down in the FA Cup away from home.”

Ricketts could be sidelined for a number of weeks after suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder in a challenge with Sylvain Distin.

Manager Paul Simpson said: “He has gone to hospital and his absence was a big blow for us. I am not going to sit here and say it changed the game because that would be foolish. It didn’t help us though. City had that extra bit of quality in the second half and were a bit more forward-thinking.

“We went into our shells and the second goal was a real killer for us.”

PRESTON: Lonergan, Alexander, Soley, Chilvers, Hill, Whaley (Mellor 86), Sedgwick, McKenna, Pugh, Nugent, Ricketts (Agyemang 42).

MAN CITY: Weaver, Richards, Dunne, Distin, Ball, Trabelsi, Barton, Dabo, Ireland, Corradi, Samaras.

Referee: M Riley (W Yorkshire).