BACK PAGE: 1996

ALAN BALL’S Manchester City were celebrating a £500,000 windfall – and a date at Old Trafford.

Goals from Niall Quinn and Nigel Clough helped City to a 2-1 FA Cup win over Coventry (Dion Dublin replied for the Sky Blues) and a big-money televised fifth-round clash with their rivals in the next round.

Goals from Eric Cantona and Lee Sharpe helped United to a 2-1 victory over City, who took the lead through Uwe Rosler.

DAVID MOYES wants West Ham to prepare for the physical strain of playing in Europe after being in the Europa League nearly relegated them last time around.

With the Hammers not playing Sheffield United until today, Moyes gave his players a day off following

Tuesday’s FA Cup defeat against

Manchester United – their first since January 3.

And while taking nothing for granted with the race for Europe so intense, he feels his men need to be ready for the gruelling prospect of competing on the extra front.

“It’s been an incredible run just because of games,” said the West Ham boss. “But in a strange way, I hope in the future that’s the way it’s going to be.

“If we’re going to talk about European games we’ll have game after game, and we’ll have to get used to that I hope. The Europa League has always been a difficult competition with the Thursday/ Sunday situation for any club.

“The first year I was in it with Everton we were terrible and we got knocked out straight away. But once you get used to it and start to get a run – we lost to Fiorentina in the quarter-finals on penalty kicks one year – you get experience.

“I want to get West Ham involved with the big boys and if we’re going to do that we have to get into

Europe.”

GROUND HERO Billy Sharp hopes to be celebrating victory for the Blades tonight