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”.