THIS Friday, City will fly back from Spain having played La Liga's Racing Santander with a place in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup safely tucked into their luggage.

The same day marks the tenth anniversary of probably the lowest point in the club's history - a 2-1 defeat away at York City in English football's third division.

It is a significant date in Blues' recent past as it marks a clear watershed from which they have - with the odd dip here and there - been on an upward curve ever since.

Those fans that were in the crowd of a little more than 7,500 at Bootham Crescent that day will never forget the miserable trip home or the startling run of success that followed, resulting in the famous Wembley win over Gillingham which culminated in a place back in the Premier League.

I reminisce, only to remind those who may have begun marching behind the Blues banner in the last few seasons that back on December 19, 1998 the thousands of die-hards could hardly dare imagine City being where they are now.

In a decade, the club has swapped rickety Maine Road for a £120m stadium, nurtured the best Academy in the business and exchanged Danny Allsopp and Jamie Pollock for Robinho and Vincent Kompany.

Just for good measure the Blues have become a firmly established top flight side, are playing in Europe, have recently acquired the status of richest club in the world containing Britain's most expensive player and are now being linked with Kaka and Thierry Henry!

Those who have waited most of their adult lives for the Blues to return to the heady, barnstorming days of the late 1960s and early 1970s can sniff success bouncing along Joe Mercer Way wearing a blue and white scarf and a huge smile but recognise too that a little more patience may be required.

Great teams that sustain success - unlike Leeds United of recently memory - have to be tailored not just plucked off the shelf that is why in the grand scheme of things this season's up and down results and performances ranging from the brilliant to the brittle are only of passing consequence in the grand plan.

Those who are currently jumping up and down hammering at their keyboards and reaching for the mobiles to vent their spleen might benefit from a bit of inner calm in the certain knowledge that in another decade from now City are a pretty good bet to be the pre-eminent force in British and European football.

The players will, however, have to be a lot smarter than they were on Saturday afternoon when they became the latest victims of Everton's imperious away form thanks to Tim Cahill's injury time headed goal.

For all the attacking artists and improvisers that City fielded they could never match the visitors' desire or collective will.

There is an argument to be made that a draw would have been a fairer reflection of a match that sparked hither and thither without ever truly igniting but the home side certainly never imposed themselves enough to deserve three points.

Many will use the defeat to pour more scorn on Mark Hughes but he sent out the team for which fans have been clamouring with Elano restored to midfield, Darius Vassell relegated to the bench and Wright-Phillips in his favoured right-sided slot.

It was pretty much the same side, in the same formation, that destroyed Pompey 6-0 earlier in the season yet it reached nowhere near those heights.

Robinho looked half-fit and only slightly more interested than that, Elano had a decent first-half and then faded out of the picture and both Benjani and Jo were lacking when it came to leading the line.

No-one was able to get his foot on the ball to orchestrate matters for City with the home side too intent on trying to be clever and sophisticated and succeeding only in handing over possession to Everton.

In contrast, the no-nonsense Belgian Marouane Fellaini and Everton's evergreen captain Phil Neville gave a master-class in defence and organisational ability.

Hughes said this week that a side largely stands and falls by its strikers.

At the moment, City are hopelessly out of their depth and the transfer window on January 1 cannot come soon enough for the loyal fans.

Chances were evenly spread with Mikel Arteta hitting the bar with a free-kick for Everton and Shaun Wright-Phillips performing a similar feat at the other end.

On the goalkeeping front, Tim Howard spread himself bravely to deny Ireland while for City Joe Hart made important and impressive saves from both Arteta and Fellaini.

The only goal came in injury time after Richard Dunne had conceded a corner, the Blues failed to deal with Leon Osman's kick and Cahill rose above Richards to score and herald some booing from disgruntled home fans.