Exclusive – David Flitcfroft: Manchester City were ruthless

Barnsley manager David Flitcroft admitted that Manchester City’s players were ‘ruthless’ in the 5-0 FA Cup quarter-final success over his side.

A hat-trick from Carlos Tevez, along with strikes from Aleksandar  Kolarov and David Silva put the Championship side to the sword.

Flitcroft told Call Collymore: “Manchester City were incredible.

“We had a plan to try and press them but we got nowhere near them.

“What surprised me more than anything was the ruthless side to Manchester City. They wanted to put us to the sword and batter us into the ground.”

The Tykes boss feels his side need to bounce back quickly as they aim to climb off the foot of the Championship table.

“I will not judge my players based on this performance because we aren’t going to face teams like Manchester City in the Championship,” he added on talkSPORT.

Flitcroft feels his squad can learn from the harsh lessons they were taught by the Premier League champions.

“We have to be as ruthless as they were to us if we are to stay in the Championship,” stated the Tykes manager.