At the heart of the Manchester music scene for more than 40 years, M People creator and former Hacienda DJ discusses his lifelong passion – Manchester City…

Interview: David Clayton/Pictures: Kevin Cummins

Talk about a life less ordinary. Mike Pickering is something close to Mancunian music royalty.

At the heart of a seismic movement in the city during the 1970s, he progressed to deejaying at our most iconic club, The Hacienda, during its heyday and knows just about everyone and anyone connected with the Madchester era before creating his own collective M People, who would go on to sell millions of records around the world.

Despite his friends and memories that will soon fill a much-awaited authorised biography, Pickering’s love of City outshines almost everything outside of his family.

He’s been there at some of the Club’s most pivotal and memorable moments – good and bad – and was only too happy to share them with City Magazine…

City Magazine: What’s your City story, Mike?

Mike Pickering: My family were Irish immigrants so, where we lived in North Manchester, it was all United.  My grandad was really awkward, however, and he wanted to follow City, which he did. He started taking me from a really early age and the first game I can really remember was Bert Trautmann’s testimonial in 1964. There must have been more than 50,000 there that day and I was in the Platt Lane. I think it was a combined City and United XI versus England, if memory serves, and Bert’s team won 5-3. I was also going during the period somewhere between Les McDowall and George Poyser and was there for the infamous Swindon Town home game when our support voted with its feet! I vividly remember my dad taking me to our usual spot in the open corner of the Kippax next to what became the North Stand, and we were walking around the Scoreboard End going ‘ where is everybody?’ Poyser was sacked shortly after, and Joe Mercer took over and those are my earliest City memories.

You must have great memories of the Mercer-Allison era?

I do and it’s when I really came into my own and started following City home and away, taking the ‘football specials’ to games around the country and I’ve been fanatical ever since. It’s like a disease!

Who did you want to be in the street knockabouts?

Mike Summerbee! I thought he was amazing and funnily enough, I had a second cousin who lived in Witney in Oxfordshire and on one occasion, we went to a pre-season friendly between Oxford United and Swindon Town and me and my dad were saying, ‘this winger is great’ – and it was Mike Summerbee. He scored direct from a corner that night. I loved his haircut, his swagger and his sense of humour – fans used to chant, ‘His nose is offside!’ and he took it all in great fun. And he was great mates with George Best – wow, what a duo – and remains the only person who had a record player in the front of his car! He told me it was a Saab, but added he could never play a record because every time you went over a bump, the record would jump. He was my idol, back then and it’s great to be able to see him and know him so well from so many trips abroad with the club.

The 1970s was an edgy place for football fans – did you ever experience anything?

Yeah, I was on the end of a few scrapes. You’d get the football special and then get walk to the ground – wherever it was – and you knew it was coming. There’d be pockets or gangs waiting in side streets and it got a bit hairy on one or two occasions. I remember walking from Liverpool Lime Street to Anfield or Goodison and you’d walk up Scotland Road and we’d get things thrown at us from balconies – all sorts – and that was just the women! Stoke City wasn’t good and at Nottingham Forest, we got chased by a gang of skinheads – and it was in that last run for safety that I met Rob Gretton who would be a pivotal figure in my future life because of his connections with the Hacienda and Factory Records. Me and Rob got separated from the main group of City fans and we ended up running through a pub and through gardens trying to escape and they were right on our tails. We hid in a privet hedge and could see their Doc Marten boots and hear them saying ‘they must be here somewhere!’ Rob introduced himself and we remained close friends thereafter, right up until his death in 1999.

We had some amazing musicians/future stars following us in the 1970s and 1980s, didn’t we?

We did and they were almost all City fans. We used to all go in The Gardeners Arms in Rusholme before the game and what a mad pub that was! On one occasion in the mid-1990s, there was me, Rob Gretton, Johnny Marr, Mark E Smith, Paul and (maybe) Liam Gallagher and we were all involved in music. It beats Mick Hucknall, doesn’t it?!

So, when and where did music come into your life?

It’s always been a passion, but I wasn’t trained in a specific area or anything. It was Punk that got me started – it was like, if you can play three chords, you can do what you like and anyone can do it, so I had a go at it. Because I’d met Rob, I started hanging out at Punk venues and was watching bands like Joy Division and stuff like that. A lot of them were fairly short-lived. I started managing and promoting – the first one was a band called Fireplace and I started a fanzine with Martin Fry, who later became the singer for ABC, and I did the first Joy Division review for a gig in Oldham – I think.

Tell us about the legend that is The Hacienda…

I deejayed there for about 11 years in total and started there before it opened when it was still a yacht club, believe it or not! You couldn’t make it up. I used to book all the acts including things like Madonna’s first UK gig, DJs, bands, acts and everything that was out front in the club and there was a big group of us who would go to Maine Road at the weekend. The ticket guys, like Mikey Williams, would come into the club and he’d sort us out on matchdays, and we always ended up in the H block in the Main Stand. There wasn’t much to watch on the pitch back then and there were times we’d go down for a drink and all the lads from the Parkside pub would be at the bar watching and afternoon movie on the TV in the concourse! I’d sometimes get to go in the players’ lounge under the Main Stand. We certainly went through it, didn’t we? The Cool Cats were a City-supporting group of lads who all used to do breakdancing at The Hacienda, turning into a dance crew called Broken Glass. They used to support one of my bands, Quando Quango, on tour and I still see them today at games.

It sounds like you need a book to share all these memories…

Funnily enough, I am doing one at the moment with Paul Morley. He interviews me for hours and hours on end and he keeps saying things like, ‘Bloody hell – you’ve done a lot, haven’t you?’  It’s tentatively called Citizen of Sound and I’m quite pleased I’ve got a publishing deal because mixing music and football is quite tough. I didn’t even know Paul was a big City fan until I started seeing him on the train home and found out he used to stand in the same place I used to stand as a kid around the same time. It’s all about my musical journey through Punk, Glam, Bowie, Acid House and Britpop – everything really!

You’ve known the Gallaghers a long time, too…

Yeah, I know Noel better than Liam. He used to be a roadie for the Inspiral Carpets and was a Hacienda regular, so he was around all the time. I wasn’t that aware of Oasis at the beginning because by that time M People were in full swing and we were touring all the time, but it was  a case of, ‘hey up – more City fans!

And then you began M People…

Yeah and because of all the things I’d been involved with over the previous 10-15 years, I was ready for it. I could do everything from promoting to production and served my apprenticeship. We started in 1991, and I guess I never really did it with success in mind. I wrote all the songs and produced them, but I never wrote something and thought, ‘this will be a smash’ – it was just what I wanted to do at the time. Up to that point in my life, if I did what I believed in, it worked, so that’s what I did. We didn’t want proper jobs, just to do what we enjoyed.

So, who played you in the movie 24 Hour Party People?

It’s funny because there were two guys playing Rob Gretton and I, so they filmed a match at Maine Road on a Saturday. Rob and I were there that day and asked what these actors would be wearing ? When they told us, we were like, ‘Nah, we’re not having that! We would have never worn that!’ As it was, that scene was edited out and I just a did a cameo near the end. Steve Coogan was really good as Tony Wilson, and he was tailormade to play that role. In fact, the first time I saw Alan Partridge I was like, ‘that’s Tony’ – particularly in his Granada Reports mode. It was a long way from the truth, but great fun.

You were at the playoff final, weren’t you?

Yeah, it was actually not long after Rob had suddenly died. We’d all been waiting in the pub to travel to the playoff semi against Wigan Athletic at Springfield Park and Rob didn’t turn up. We were all still shellshocked at the time of the final against Gillingham, but I took Rob’s son Benedict, and I think we were in the Olympic Gallery. Noel was in there and some people walked out before  the end, and I’ll never forgive them for that – you know who you are! I’ve never left early – it’s one of my bugbears. I know people who missed Sergio’s goal against QPR. I don’t get it because how often do we play at home? I want people in their seat before, during and after to support the lads – don’t leave early to watch X-Factor! Stay the end, applaud the lads and then go – that’s just how I feel.

How is your fandom today? Stronger than ever?

It is. I used to look at other clubs and their fans travelling all over Europe – before we were in those competitions – and I thought about how much I’d love to do that as well – so now I do follow us whenever and wherever I can. It started with the Europa games against clubs like Lokeren, which I really enjoyed, and then progressed to the Champions League, starting at Bayern Munich where Uwe Rosler introduced us to the Oktoberfest – my god, that was the worst hangover I’ve ever had -and ever since then, there’s very few European games I miss, and we’ve had some great times. Long may it continue.

With just one defeat in all competitions heading into December, City have enjoyed an incredibly strong start to 2024/25.

Lauren Hemp has been central to that success and was recognised for her stellar form with a hat-trick of Player of the Month awards in October.

Her spell on the sidelines has come at a frustrating time given her incredible performances of late, but it’s safe to assume she’ll be back to her best in no time when that return eventually comes.

Already one of City and England’s most consistent performers, many who have watched the Blues on a regular basis have noticed a step up in 2024/25.

She’s been a lightning rod for the Blues and has grasped her more senior role in the squad – having been chosen as part of the leadership group in pre-season – with both hands.

Her love of Lego is no secret, and Hemp has been a cornerstone figure in the foundations of Gareth Taylor’s side this season.

Team-mate Kerstin Casparij assessed that impact rather succinctly on a recent episode of the official Man City Podcast, contrasting the winger’s humility and popularity away from the pitch with her ferocious desire for success on it.

In typical fashion from the England international, though, she laughs that compliment off with a quick smile.

“Thanks Kerstin! I feel like I’ve always had that competitiveness,” Hemp begins.

“I think missing out on trophies has probably increased that hunger even more. Winning the Euros and things like that, I’ve had a sniff of success so now I’m just itching to get it even more on a regular basis.

“That’s probably been that bit between my teeth that I’m always wanting this team to win. We’ve seen before that any slip up can cost you a trophy.

“Off the pitch I like to pride myself on being humble and approachable, I’d love to say that… Kerstin’s said it… but as soon as I’m on the pitch I feel like a different person.

“At points I can be loud if I need to be but all in all I do it for the greater good of the team. I’m so competitive and my hunger to win games probably outweighs everything.”

City are blessed with some of the quickest players in the game among our ranks, Hemp being right up there in that conversation.

But the winger will need some convincing from team-mate Casparij if she’s to agree with the Dutch international’s prediction on the outcome should they ever have a race.

For Casparij, a Hemp victory is guaranteed over 10 yards, but a 100-metre race would play into the full-back’s favour.

“I’m not sure on that,” Hemp laughs.

“I’d back myself over 10 yards. To be fair I feel like as the distance goes on, I probably slow down but Kerstin might be able to sustain that intensity for a longer block but 10 yards I’d say me.

“You know what, from the kindness of my heart I’ll give her it but we’ll need to have that race to find out.”

Also potentially fancying their chances in competing for that hypothetical sprint title would be a young pretender in the form of Lily Murphy.

At time of writing the England youth international has made five senior appearances, meaning City fans have only seen a glimpse of her capabilities, but the forward possesses a frightening turn of pace.

Murphy is one of four young players to make the transition into the senior squad for 2024/25, alongside Gracie Prior, Codie Thomas and Eve O’Carroll.

Having made her senior debut back in 2022, Prior has now become a much more regular fixture for Gareth Taylor’s side with four appearances to her name this season, while Thomas also grabbed her first appearance in our Champions League win over St Polten in October.

Those initial few months can be a daunting prospect for any young player, but Hemp has been impressed by the speed at which our young contingent have settled.

“I feel like it’s great in the squad having that depth not only of very experienced players but also those who are gaining it by the people they’re around,” she added.

“The young players have slotted in perfectly. It’s great having them around, they bring something different in their own right and have been a great addition.

“It’s so nice to see them get their debuts at such a young age, it’s so important to have that kind of exposure.

“Hopefully they’ll go on to become City legends and follow in the footsteps of many of the girls who’ve been at this club.

“It’s great to have them around, they bring so much potential, and I can’t wait to see how far they go.”

Although she’d already gained plenty of experience at Bristol City before joining the Club, Hemp was in a similar position to our young quartet when she signed in 2018.

At just 17, the winger entered a dressing room containing the likes of Jill Scott, Karen Bardsley, Steph Houghton, Demi Stokes and, 12 months later, Ellen White – footballing giants in every sense of the word.

But now the shoe is on the other foot, and it’s Hemp who is offering her own advice from her years of experience at the top of the game.

The guidance received from the senior players around her as a teenager, though, isn’t something that’s been forgotten in a hurry and she’s now keen to pass that down to the next generation.

Hemp reflects: “I think when I was younger, I looked up to Jill [Scott] and Steph [Houghton], Ellen [White], players like that.

“I feel like they took me under their wing and helped me out so much when I was younger.

“They’re players who lead with their actions on the pitch and that’s probably what I do.

“I’m definitely not the loudest person in the changing rooms but I’d do anything to help this team win. I think that’s important to have as well.”

Hemp may currently be out with a knee injury, but she’s sure to be a key figure in any success that City have this season when she returns.

Still just 24, the sky is the limit for the England international, who has already achieved so much in her young career to date.

But that competitive edge, that desire to break new ground and to become the best version of herself is as insatiable as ever.

…A scary thought for City’s rivals.

“Each season I always set myself targets and ways to be more successful than the season previous,” she concludes.

“I feel like I’m my biggest critic so I’m always pushing to be that 1% better than the season before.

“This biggest thig this season is the confidence; I feel it’s gone to a new level. I’ve been going into every game with the fire and belief that the team can win the game.

“It’s important for me to help the team wherever I can, and I feel I’ve contributed a lot to that this season, but the players around me have helped just as much as well.

“They bring the best side out of me and the coaches as well who’ve given me that belief and confidence to go on and push myself that one step further.”

Interview: George Kelsey

Across all of the Club’s social media channels, City have almost 200 million followers from all corners of the globe.  

Entertaining, educating and connecting with those fans is not always easy, but Conor Shaw, who is one of City’s Social Media Producers, enjoys the challenge that comes with working in social media and the various role and responsibilities that comes with it.  

A dream job for many City fans, Conor kindly agreed to sit down with City Magazine to talk about his role in the Club’s social media team.  

CITY MAGAZINE: Thanks for sitting down with us Conor! First of all, we’re sure lots of fans are keen to know about what your job entails day-to-day and then how that differs on a matchday?

CONOR: Hello! It’s my pleasure. Yeah, so during the week a lot of my time and the team’s time is spent going match to match so anything from video editing, compiling posts leading up to the game, capturing content and then also wider picture we might work on content strategies. For example I work on Trophy Tour so I work with our international teams during the week and I’m working with various other departments such as our live team, editorial team and so on to help with the planning and execution of social content around our 4-In-A-Row Trophy Tour.  

And like I mentioned, those things are going on around our main focus which is the matches of our four teams. What’s great about our team is everyone has lots of different strengths and attributes and they all play in to the roles we have on a matchday. I like being able to do a bit of everything so I enjoy doing what we called the ‘channels’ role which consists of covering Facebook and X and then supporting the overall delivery of content across our channels on a matchday. We also have the ‘presenting’ role which Georgia Hampson does a great job of and then we also have the ‘Pitcam’ role where you’re pitchside capturing the action on our phones. I’ve also had the chance to these roles more on a matchday for the women’s team which I thoroughly enjoy.  

CITY MAGAZINE: Working for one of the most successful clubs in the world in the past decade comes with a lot of eyes and a lot of fans wanting to be in the same role as you because you get to just cover football constantly. Is that what drew you to the role in general? 

CONOR: Yeah definitely. I think ever since I was like 13 I knew I wanted to work in football media and the different work experience I got back then made me realise I wanted to work specifically in social media. And I think it also helped prepare me for my role at City. I’ve done more than 600 games since I was around 14, covering games at university, as part of internships, voluntary work and then finally getting a role full-time in the football pyramid, making my way up to City and working in the Premier League.  

Having worked in League Two and League One I always aspired to be in the role and at the Club I’m at now so I feel very fortunate to be in the position I’m in now and I still get that ‘pinch me’ moment when I’m covering big games for City such as Real Madrid in the Champions League or FA Cup finals. Since I joined I’ve covered City’s Treble-winning season and then our fourth successive Premier League title so at the end of last season it was really nice to take a moment and go ‘wow, that’s really cool’.  

CITY MAGAZINE: What would you say the most important skill for your job is and why? 

CONOR: Flexibility. I think that’s the main thing that I think is so different to working at a football club compared to a traditional nine-to-five job. We work long days, evenings, weekends, late shifts, and early shifts, it’s a real mix. I think content is quite special in that regard, it never sleeps. So you’ve got to be alive and awake for stuff. And having that flexibility is for both the unpredictable hours but then also having the flexibility to change your work responsibilities based on the result or specific moment and that is challenging but what also makes the job really fun and rewarding.  

And I’d also say organisation. You’ve got to remember that you are the voice of a platform that has nearly 200 million followers and what we post reaches billions of people around the world. So we need to be aware when working that we need to be organised and use initiative and there are so many things that could happen and impact our content so you also need to have a level head.  

CITY MAGAZINE: As part of the social team you have to come up with a lot of ideas for content, what is your favourite piece of content you’ve produced? 

CONOR: That’s a tough question! I think my favourite one, personally, was Trophy Tour last season. We went to Norway and we got Nedum Onuoha to go down a zipline on Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo. I think the Trophy Tour as a whole last season was great but getting to go to Oslo was great. We took the Champions League trophy to Erling Haaland’s great Uncle’s pig farm, we took it to Bryne, Haaland’s local football and f former team. Seeing all the planning come to fruition was one of the things I’m most proud of. 

And then on top of that being on the player’s bus for the Treble-winning parade around Manchester and capturing as much content as possible on that was fantastic but also very very wet!  

CITY MAGAZINE: And what’s your favourite piece of content that you’ve captured for socials that has come organically, like not planned? 

CONOR: All of the content we published on socials while on the Treble parade bus really. And then I was fortunate enough to go on the Women’s tour to Australia in the summer and the access we got with the players there was fantastic. We captured really nice content at training and being able to ask them questions, play fun little games, getting them in the diary room was all really fun to capture and really helped us populate our new women’s channels that we launched in the summer, too. We had one moment at the safari park where the parakeet said ‘bye bye’ to us and that was really funny content that we weren’t expecting but I was on my toes and managed to capture it.  

CITY MAGAZINE: Finally, you’ve mentioned already you were on the Treble parade and maybe not maybe City fans know this but you are in the background of one of City’s most iconic photos. You can be seen in the bottom left-hand corner of the image of Jack Grealish on the back of the bus. What was it like finding out you were snapped in the background? 

CONOR: I mean that photo as a whole is great because it shows so many aspects of the Club. The fans, the city, the staff, the players, everyone together in one photo in the pouring rain. I remember on the day I had family and friends sending me the photo after it got posted on socials and I remember being like ‘it’s a great photo’ and then later realising I was in the background drowning in the thunder, lightning and rain!  

But yeah it was really cool and it’s still something fans point out to me on occasion. I wasn’t expecting to be caught in the back, I was focused on capturing content whilst also trying to avoid the rain and I didn’t do the latter very well!  

Interview: Holly Percival

If City youngster Jaden Heskey is in need of any tips or advice about further honing his game, he knows just who to turn to...

The exciting young Elite Development Squad forward is the son of renowned former England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey who carved out a hugely successful career in the game, winning 62 caps and featuring at both the 2002 and 2010 World Cups.

Now Jaden – along with talented younger brother Reigan – are proudly following in their father’s illustrious footsteps and making great strides here at City.

While Reigan is catching the eye with our Under-18 squad, Jaden has equally impressed after being elevated to our EDS squad in the summer following a hugely successful spell at Under-18 level capped by helping City lift the FA Youth Cup final in May.

Proud father Emile is a regular presence at the CFA on Academy matchdays, taking the opportunity, whenever he can, to watch his sons in action.

And Jaden admits both he and Reigan couldn’t have a better mentor should they ever they need specific tips or encouragement to help further develop their game.

“Yeah, our Dad is proud of us. And he'll give us a bit of advice when we need it,” Jaden says.

“But he doesn't put too much pressure on us. He's just happy and he's proud of us, I hope!

“He will come to most games to be fair, but when he can't if say he's away or somewhere, he's always watching the matches on CITY+.

“So, any other way he can he’ll try to watch.

“He's been through it all already during his career, so it's nice to know that I can get that advice.

“In terms of who my Dad is I haven’t noticed any extra attention.

“I certainly haven't experienced it too much from the opposition.

“Maybe in like social media and stuff you get a bit more attention and stuff, but I try not to let it affect me too much.”

While Jaden has made a fine start to the season, claiming two goals and one assist so far to help Ben Wilkinson’s side top the PL2 standings, younger brother Reigan has also shone with Oliver Reiss’s Under-18s who lie second in the Premier League North table

And he admitted it was extra special to have his brother alongside him in the Academy set-up – with the pair’s exploits also serving to help inspire one another

“It's great though to be fair I haven't played with him so far this season,” Jaden added.

“I had the one game playing with Reigan last season in the UEFA Youth League against Young Boys.

“It was a pretty good game we won 3-0, and he scored and he's doing very well with the Under-18s this season. He just needs to carry it on.

“He’s also been playing in the Youth League as well, so he just needs to carry on.

“When I see him doing well it makes you want to go and do well in in games as well, and probably vice- versa.

“[Having a brother alongside you means] There’s probably a bit of like comfort there and you know, like familiarity. But it's nice to have him there.”

Amongst the challenges for Jaden to navigate this term has been coming up against much older and more physical opponents at Under-21 level compared to that at Under-18 level.

However, the 18-year-old says that is a prospect that he has savoured.

And he admits having the opportunity to work once more under the tutelage of lead coach Ben Wilkinson, who also made the move up from Under-18 level in the summer, has been a huge help too.

“It's definitely a lot more physical,” Jaden says of playing in Premier League 2. “But, I do enjoy the physicality in games.

“Obviously, the players are a lot older. I was playing against like players, even my age or younger with the Under-18s so that aspect is a lot different.

“I had a bit of exposure last season. It's a challenge, but I'm enjoying it.

“When I was like a first year and second year scholar, it was kind of tough going up and playing and getting used to it.

“But I feel like now I'm adapting to it a bit better, and I feel like I've taken it in my stride.

“Working with Ben again has been great for me and the guys.

“I feel like the people who are younger than me as well, they obviously had Ben in the Under-18s as well last season, so it's helped everyone.

“Ben has been a good help and Muddy [assistant Craig Mudd] as well. To be fair I think a lot of us we've had Muddy from like under 10s

“So we've had both of them for quite a while and we are used to what they want.”

Interview: Neil Leigh

In a new occasional series, we look back at former players who came back to haunt us…

#2: EYAL BERKOVIC
Portsmouth 2004

Is it ever a good idea for a former player to make their debut against you?

The writing was on the wall on this occasion…

Eyal Berkovic had been a huge City fan favourite.

The gifted Israeli playmaker had joined the Blues for a bargain £1.5m in 2001 as part as Kevin Keegan’s rebuild and work his magic alongside Ali Benarbia in what was a wonderful, entertaining season in what is today the Championship.

Berkovic was made for Manchester City.

Skilful, exciting and blessed with wonderful vision, it was a match made in heaven and in Benarbia and Berkovic, the Blues were blessed with a midfield that was better than most Premier League sides, let alone those in the second tier.

Keegan’s side coasted to the title, winning promotion with a style and swagger not seen at Maine Road for many year and Berkovic had more than played his part.

The step up in class didn’t faze Berkovic, and his delightful assist for Shaun Goater’s second goal in the 3-1 Manchester derby – the last ever at Maine Road – in November 2002, only cemented his popularity further among City fans.

But Eyal had a short fuse.

During a League Cup tie with Crewe, he responded to a City fan in the Platt Lane with a gesture the FA would later investigate, and, for some, it was the beginning of the end.

Though he would be voted the City Magazine Player of the Year for 2002/03, the following season was very different.

Berkovic was rumoured to have had a falling out with Keegan, who played him sparingly in the first half of the campaign, reinstating him for a 0-3 home defeat to Leicester – his first Premier League start in 10 weeks.

He would play against Newcastle  a week later – another 3-0 loss – and would never play for City again.

For the Israel international and Keegan, the January window couldn’t come quick enough and when Portsmouth lodged a bid of £500,000, the Blues readily accepted.

Ironically, that meant that Eyal’s first game would be against City at Fratton Park, just five days later.

It’s fair to say that there wasn’t a Manchester City fan at the game that day that didn’t know what was coming.

Dejan Stefanovic headed Pompey in front on 19 minutes before Nicolas Anelka levelled the scores.

Berkovic was busy and inventive, but the Blues would strike the crossbar three times before Antoine Sibierski made it 2-1 on half-time.

Berkovic looked determined to get one over on this former boss and his energy  - though waning after so few games of late – had given the struggling south coast side new life and after just 13 minutes of the second-half, Fratton Park was rocking as goals from Yakubu and Teddy Sheringham had made it 3-2.

Berkovic went off on 74 minutes to a standing ovation and Yakubu bagged his second of the game three minutes later.

Portsmouth, who had taken just four points from a possible 28 prior to this game, saw out the game 4-2 winners.

Harry Redknapp’s side enjoyed a surge of form towards the end of the season and finished in 13th position – three places higher than City!

Eyal, on this occasion, had the last laugh...

Ahead of the busy festive period, we caught up with our FPL Scout to get the lowdown on the month ahead… 

1. November was a slightly difficult month for City – but what FPL positives were there? 

Josko Gvardiol (£6.3m) has put himself back on the radar of FPL managers. In the last four Gameweeks he has registered 27 points including a goal against Bournemouth in November. Last season he was one of the go to defenders in the game. In just 26 starts he registered 123 points, courtesy of four goals, two assists and nine clean sheets. In November we have seen the return of Gvardiol's attacking threat, indeed he was unlucky not to score again at the end of the Gameweek 11 tie against Brighton. In addition Matheus Nunes (£4.9m) has also been very creative through November. The budget enabling midfielder created six chances for his City teammates in November, more than any other Man City player in November. he also supplied six crosses. 

2. Which City players could be smart purchases for December? 

Many FPL managers sold Erling Haaland (£15.2m) in November after just one Premier League goal in October. However FPL managers will likely regret that and need to buy the forward back in December. Haaland rediscovered his goal scoring form against Brighton in Gameweek 12 and continued that form on international duty for Norway. Kevin De Bruyne (£9.4m) also returned from injury in November and looks a fantastic buy for December. The Belgian is currently owned by just 3.9% of the game. In the opening four gameweeks of the season, before his injury, De Bruyne had created 16 chances which was a team leading total. His 29 crosses was also more than any other City player. His set piece threat also gives him a fantastic route to points. All this will likely make him a great purchase for the December festive fixtures. 

3. Finally, who from across the Premier League could be good differentials in December? 

Chelsea's Malo Gusto (£4.9m) also looks like a good differential buy for December. In the last three gameweeks Gusto is top for defenders for shots taken, third for penalty-area touches and joint-sixth for big chances taken. This suggests that Gusto could bring returns at both ends of the pitch, he is owned by just 1.6% of managers. Bournemouth's Evanilson (£6.0m) has now registered an attacking return in five of Bournemouth's last six Premier League fixtures. At just 1.8% ownership he could be a fun differential given four of Bournemouth's next five fixtures are a two on the Fixture Difficulty Rating. Finally, although he is owned by far more managers at 18% ownership, if managers jump on Newcastle's Alexander Isak (£8.5m) quickly he will still bring relatively differential returns for managers. Isak has returned from injury in Gameweek 8 and has now returned in all of his last three Premier League matches registering 26 points in those matches.