Manchester City fans waited 35 years for their last piece of silverware – the FA Cup, which they won last weekend – and spent much of it enduring the taunts of their more successful cross-city rivals.

United fans reveled in pointing out City’s trophy drought, and their infamous ticker banner, which showed the years ticking past since City last won anything, was worth a thousand words.

After City won the FA Cup, though, the ticker banner has disappeared from the United fans’ arsenal. But there may be a twist in the tale, with United fans promising a new banner mocking City.

Stretford End Flags, the independent supporters’ group behind the banner, have said United fans will have the last laugh when it returns for the final game of the season.

Spokesman Andrew Kilduff said: “The banner’s going back up in some form or another for the Blackpool game.

“What goes up is open to interpretation – it’s going to be the same banner but it will just have something else on it,” he said secretively.

“We’ve had suggestions to turn it to 43 which is how long since City last won the league.

“But if we do that it would just give City the motivation to win it again – and it would look a bit petty really.”