A new dawn at The Ricoh

Has a month or two of good results gone to my head? Quite possibly. But if I don't enjoy it now, I would only be rueing my failure to enjoy it while it lasted when our eventual slide down the table occurs. (It would appear that my deep-rooted pessimism is yet to fully disappear).

It is often said that when you're on a good run, you're more likely to get the rub of the green. As much as I despise footballing clichés, it would take a mad man to claim that this one in particular wasn't manifested on Saturday.

Westwood's penalty save was by no means down to luck, it was yet another example of fine goalkeeping from the best keeper outside the Premiership (sorry for stealing your line Mr Coleman).

Lita's miss from the resultant rebound, however, was luckier than leprechaun holding a four leaf clover.

Middleborough's current predicament mirrors those in which City have found themselves in many seasons gone by. A poor run of form coupled with individual errors and poor refereeing seems all too familiar.

Although languishing in the lower echelons of the table can be exciting, it certainly isn't a comfortable place to be. I would liken it to putting me in a formula one car; there would be a definite thrill and feeling of incomparable excitement, however you're all the while aware that things will most probably end in tears.

As the festive season draws near, City fans will no doubt be pushing aside thoughts of what present to get for the wife or when to put up the tree. Much more important are the crucial encounters with Norwich, Cardiff and QPR.

It promises to be a desperately difficult run of games, but Boothroyd's men are more than capable of making it a Sky Blue Christmas.