Hart happy to keep going

Although Hart was confirmed as the Blues number one keeper by Roberto Mancini, the 23-year-old always knew Shay Given was on hand to take some of the strain should City's punishing schedule get too much. However, the safety net disappeared when Given was forced to undergo shoulder surgery that will keep him out for much of the campaign. Mancini has opted not to bring in an emergency replacement so, with doubts persisting over Stuart Taylor, the Italian is relying on Hart staying fit. The England star has now notched up 18 successive appearances for City, a run that will be extended against Wigan at Eastlands on Saturday evening. Hart does have youth on his side, though and is adamant there is no way he wants to stand down from the busiest season of his fledgling career. "I am not interested in having a break," said Hart. "I love playing. It is great to have all these games and I am happy to do it." Hart does accept it can be draining mentally at times. However, he does not view his situation as being comparable with his outfield colleagues, who have to counter physical fatigue as well. "Mentally it is a little bit draining but as soon as the game starts that all goes out of the window," he said. "It is like the start of a game where you have been injured all week. Suddenly the injury is gone. It is the excitement of playing. "It is the busiest season of my career. But I just turn up and play. "Every time I get the chance I am happy to see my name on the team-sheet. It is not like I am running 15km like some of the lads. "I am just trying to keep as fresh and sparky as I can." What appeared to be a very positive evening on Wednesday as City overcame Aston Villa to book a home FA Cup quarter-final with Reading was in actual fact the prelude to yet more negativity in the wake of Kolo Toure's failed drugs test. Toure is now suspended until further notice and was not at the club's Carrington training ground this morning. A popular member of the Blues' squad, his personal agony will be felt deeply by his team-mates and there must be some doubt over whether brother Yaya will feature against Wigan. Hart is refusing to take Wigan lightly despite their presence at the foot of the Premier League table. "This is going to be a huge test for us," he said. "Wigan are scrapping for points and are trying to play their way out of trouble. They are a good side and we will have to be very careful." Hart knows the biggest danger lies in the form of opposite number Ali Al Habsi. The Oman international never made the breakthrough he hoped at Bolton, where he was condemned to playing second fiddle to Jussi Jaaskelainen. Even then Hart could tell Al Habsi had talent, which he has since gone on to show at the DW Stadium. "I played against Ali in the reserves when we weren't quite getting first-team action," said Hart. "I am really happy for him with how he is doing now. "Ali is an excellent goalkeeper and is one of the reasons Wigan are not too far adrift at the bottom."