Shay given early glimpse of City circus

THERE must be a sadomasochistic streak buried deep within Shay Given. Having finally extricated himself from the Newcastle United madhouse, booking into the loony bin that is Manchester City seems akin to a particularly extreme form of self-flagellation.

Then again, perhaps Given simply enjoys a challenge. He was given an early taste of what to expect at Eastlands on Saturday, somehow chalking up his first clean sheet despite the best efforts of his defence to sabotage his City debut.

Given made a string of superb saves — all from the luckless Afonso Alves — and ended the afternoon with the applause of a grateful home faithful ringing in his ears. If he had closed his eyes, he might just have been back at St James’s Park.