It was City’s Christmas party on Monday, but although we had a good time it was a bit more of a sedate affair than usual.

That was probably due to the fact that the gaffer, Kevin Keegan, caught two of our players in a pub in the middle of the afternoon last week.

Midfielder Jeff Whitley and defender Steve Howey were both in there drinking when the boss walked in around 4.00 p.m.

He was not impressed and consequently Jeff has been told to stay away from the club and not to contact anyone for two weeks. Steve, because it was his first offence, was fined a week’s wages.

This is all part of the manager’s crackdown on drinking. Before he came there were stories in the tabloid press labelling us as a “pub team” because there was supposed to be a culture of drinking at Maine Road.

As soon as he took over, the manager was informed who the drinkers were so he could nip it in the bud and I am sure Jeff’s name would have been on the list.

The gaffer must have been tipped off about the incident because the lads were saying it would have had to have been a big coincidence for him to walk into the same pub they were in.

It is one they apparently go to quite regularly but although the manager has been here seven months it is the first time he has been there.

As a result one or two had a drink on Monday but there were quite a few who were actually sober.

I don’t drink so it’s normally quite a funny night for me watching all the rest who do but this time it was all a bit mild.

It was good to let our hair down, though, after a week which saw us consolidate second place in the First Division.

We played Wolves in midweek and won 1-0 and then beat Bradford City on Sunday 3-1 after going a goal down.

The Wolves game was perhaps the biggest of the season so far as they are just a place behind us. But it was one of those matches where the result was more important than the performance. If you had been in the dressing room afterwards you might have thought we had lost.

Only Richard Dunne came away with any credit overall as individuals, and I include myself, we did not perform well.

Kevin Horlock put us ahead after 21 minutes, but after Wolves had a player sent off just before half-time our play deteriorated.

We thought we would step up our game as a result of having a man advantage and go on to play some good football, but we just didn’t. We would play two or three passes and then lose possession and overall they played the better football. In the last 10 or 15 minutes it was us who wanted the game to end and not them.

The boss knew that we could perform better and said so and luckily we had only a short wait until we got the chance to prove him right against Bradford.

They took the lead after 15 minutes when Richard Dunne put through his own net but we came back into the game and Lucien Mettomo got the equaliser after 35 minutes.

Kevin Horlock got his second in two games in the 58th minute and Shaun Wright-Phillips made sure of the victory with his first goal at Maine Road in the 64th minute.

We played better but we were still some way short of our high standards.

I had two one-on-ones with the ‘keeper that were from acute angles. The ‘keeper saved the first one and smothered the rebound and then secondly I dinked the ball over him but a defender was able to clear it off the line as it rolled goalwards.

I don’t expect to score every time I get a chance — that is setting an impossible standard. But I do expect that if I have four opportunities I will walk away with a goal.

However, although I didn’t score I was still there to get the chances and that is pleasing because I am being marked tighter and tighter as the season progresses.

After 67 minutes the manager replaced me with Paulo Wanchope who was returning after a two month lay-off following a cartilage operation.

Now Paulo is back the manager obviously wants to get him involved.

I understand that the best thing for the club is to have three fit strikers in myself, Paulo and Darren Huckerby and the sooner Paulo gets match fit the better.

However, no player likes being substituted and I am no different.

I believe if you are playing well there should be no problem. I had opportunities where I could have scored and so I wanted to stay on and try to put it right.

On Saturday we play Crewe, one of the division’s lower sides, and then we have two massive games, firstly against West Bromwich Albion and then Burnley the leaders.

Those last two will be entirely different games. West Brom gave us a good hiding at their place, beating us 4-0 but then we did the same to Burnley coming away 4-2 winners.

It will be in our minds to make sure the West Brom scoreline is not repeated. First and foremost we must get a result but if we are two or three goals to the good and are passing it about then we can go about getting revenge and try and do what they did to us.

Burnley will come to us confident because they are on top of the league, but at the same time they won’t fancy playing us as we have quite a good record against them.

If we can get an early goal or at least take the lead it might deflate them a little bit and allow us to go on and get another goal or two.

As this will be the last time you hear from me until 2002 I would like to take this opportunity to say merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone in Bermuda.

My wife is coming back to Bermuda shortly with the children and so I will be left on my own here in Manchester. I’m sure I’ll manage although everyone is asking ‘Will the Goat get fed?’