The Sky Blue half of one of England’s biggest cities has long lived in the shadow of its neighbours, but now City have recently emerged as, arguably, Manchester’s top force.

Their route to success has been fast-tracked by huge injections of money and the introduction of some of the planet’s finest talent - something that in the modern game is inevitable.

But lets get away from that, and focus on how good it must be to be a fan of City now. As mentioned before, dedicated followers of the Etihad Stadium side have been through the ringer over the years. City have long been nearly men, with promotion followed by relegation and off-field drama preventing them from taking their chances in the past.

All of this has occurred while across town United were scooping up lorry-loads of trophies and gracing television sets in some of European football’s top games and competitions. It must have been galling to turn up to work the next day to be confronted by a grinning United fan while your side was battling it out in the lower echelons of the game.

Thaksin Shinawatra’s takeover of the club in 2007 promised much, but ultimately failed to deliver, so City supporters were forgiven for greeting Sheikh Mansour’s arrival with a little pessimism. Yet, the Abu Dhabi billionaire has transformed the club with his vast resources, making them one of Europe’s strongest sides.

We can gloss over the FA Cup and Premier League wins - because lets face it if you follow football Sergio Aguero’s heroics are burned into your memory – and focus on where the club could be going ahead of the Capital One Cup Final.

As City prepare for their Wembley encounter with Sunderland, they are presented with the chance to lift the one English trophy that has evaded them since the new era began, and has actually not graced their trophy cabinet since the 70’s.

Manuel Pellegrini looks to be the manager they have long craved, and if he can nick a piece of silverware at the first time of asking, then it will surely serve to be a massive confidence boost for the Chilean himself and his talented squad.

Capital One Cup glory could really signal the start of a new phase in City’s development. The quadruple, albeit a distant dream, will still be alive, and in keeping such hopes burning then they really will have something to fight for between now and the end of the season

There is much to be excited about when it comes to this Man City team. The Capital One Cup could prove to be a turning point when we eventually look back on the Citizens story in the future – maybe this is when a footballing dynasty is born.

Sponsored by Capital One. The Credit Card that Supports the Supporters.

For exclusive content, competitions and more visit: Facebook.com/CapitalOneUK

For Capital One Credit Cards visit: www.capitalone.co.uk