Hart: Cup win boosted league chances

Joe Hart said winning the FA Cup last season has helped Manchester City challenge for the Premier League title this term.

The 24-year-old is adamant that without their success at Wembley last May, City would not have been able to recruit the likes of Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy in the summer.

“Having that trophy also helped us bring in some excellent players this year, and that is what we are trying to do. Whatever trophy we are in, we are hunting for it,” he told Manchester Evening News.

“It was huge for the club, huge for the fans and the players.”

“It means an awful lot that we won it. There was a lot made about it, with all the local taunts about 35 years and so on, and they have all gone now.”

“But we start from fresh, we are a good team and have earned a lot of respect this season, and we deserve it.”

Roberto Mancini agrees with Hart’s sentiments and claims the FA Cup victory should be a platform on which his side can build a title challenge this season.

“It was very important for us and the club. When you build a new team it is important that you begin to win very quickly,” Mancini said.

“After one cup – the FA Cup or the Carling Cup – at that moment you start to understand that if you work hard and win the FA Cup, that you can also win the championship. So for a team like us, the FA Cup win was very important.”