Boro 0 - 1 City

• There were two goals today: progression and atonement. We succeeded with regard to both. Given the pitch, the weather, and the City line-up it was never going to be a great game of football. And with only 12,474 fans in a 35,000 seater stadium it was never going to be a great cup tie either. But we're in the bag for the next round, and that's all that counts. Remember how we did at this stage last season, going out to Nottingham Forest at home? Or remember last year's Carling Cup exit at Brighton? If this season has taught us anything it is that 'typical City' is alive and well. Throw in having to listen to lazy stereotyping that Mancini will struggle on snowy away games in the north and it all adds up to a pretty good result today.

• Just as important, though, was to right the wrong of 11 May 2008. That was the most shameful result I can remember as a City fan. Most people responsible for that result have left the club. But three that started twenty months ago - Javi Garrido, Martin Petrov and Benjani - started today. When Petrov put Benjani through in first half stoppage time, and the Zimbabwean finished past Danny Coyne, it was a perfect piece of atonement. I would have liked us to have won by more, but at least this way all of our goals were scored and set-up by those that played in the 8-1. But the goal and the win leave a strong sense of redemption this evening. These things are difficult to expunge from our collective memory, but I do hope that it haunts us less now.

• Which is to say nothing of the performance today. All things considered we played pretty well. We tended to keep the ball nicely, and Middlesbrough barely created a single decent chance all match. There was one brief spell in the first half when we looked troubled, thanks to Javi Garrido's inability to deal with Adam Johnson. But when Johnson went off for Marvin Emnes we were fine. As the game progressed, Boro became increasingly dependant on high balls into the box to create anything. So extra credit must go to our second half all Belgian centre-back pairing of Vincent Kompany and Dedryck Boyata, who dealt excellently with everything Boro launched at them.

• At the other end of the pitch we had a poor first half but a good second half. We started with Martin Petrov playing off Benjani which for 45 minutes was pretty abject. After the half-time changes - Tévez and Barry came on for Micah Richards and Nigel de Jong - we looked much sharper, and created enough second half chances that on another day we would have scored five or six. I can't quite work out whether it is Tévez or Bellamy who is the real talisman, the indispensable man, but they both transform games when they come on.

• So we're in the Fourth Round: I'd either like an easy home game or an interesting away one. Have a personal preference for QPR away (in terms of proximity to me) but would love any of the remaining League One sides left in the competition.