It is a moment in FA Cup folklore that will always have a place in the hearts of Sheffield United supporters but one that those of a Manchester City persuasion do not hold quite so dearly. It was January 2008 and Sven-Göran Eriksson arrived at a blustery Bramall Lane determined to progress to the fifth round but within 12 minutes his City team were reeling from a sense of injustice after trailing to a freakish goal.
Bamboozled by a smattering of balloons in the City penalty area thrown from the away end, the left-back Michael Ball swiped at thin air as he went to clear a cross and presented Luton Shelton with a simple finish. “I’m getting all the trauma back now,” says the former City defender Nedum Onuoha before Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, the teams’ first meeting in the competition since the infamous balloon-gate incident.
