The 2006–07 season proved tough for club which skirmished with relegation from the Premier League and ended up finishing in 14th position.

The side also scored just ten goals at home in the league, and none after New Years Day in 2007, a record low in top-flight English football.

The first of these games was perhaps just a "belated pre-season friendly" that was played with the season still only nine days old, while the other one against Blackpool in February was more of a mutually arranged scrimmage behind closed doors, with one of its intended purposes being to provide a "friendly competitive" tryout for the 28-year-old Belgian international striker, Émile Mpenza, who at the time the Manchester club was considering signing.

The extemporaneous Valentine's Day friendly also gave some City players in need of match fitness, such as Didi Hamann and Stephen Jordan, a chance to get a full 90 minutes of play under their belts.

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