O’neill hails his battlers
STOKE boss Michael O’neill praised the “resilience” of his struggling side as they eased their relegation fears with a much-needed win.
A cruel 25th-minute own-goal from Callum Paterson and Joe Allen’s first goal for two months secured three priceless points against play-off chasers Cardiff.
“I thought we showed a lot of resilience,” said O’neill.
“That’s probably something that has been questioned this season on a number of occasions.
“We’re still in a precarious position, but that’s been the case since I came in.
“From a cosmetic point of view, the league table looks better, but, equally, we’re well aware of our position.”
Tyrese Campbell nearly fired the hosts ahead in the sixth minute, but Bluebirds shot-stopper Alex Smithies produced a smart block to deny him.
Winger Tom Ince went agonisingly close with a left-foot firecracker, which flew just wide of the left post as the hosts pushed for the opener. And the deadlock was broken soon after as a good slice of luck saw O’neill’s committed charges edge ahead.
Cardiff failed to deal with Jordan Thompson’s inswinging corner and the ball struck Paterson on the back and flew into the net.
Campbell had a glorious chance to double the lead moments later, but his leftfoot shot was frustratingly deflected wide.
Josh Murphy lashed high and wide as the Bluebirds failed to get on level terms by the break.
Nick Powell came close to extending the lead 15 seconds after the restart, but he lashed into the side netting.
However, the pressure paid off thanks to Campbell’s persistence.
The striker had two shots smothered by Smithies, but the ball broke loose and Allen gladly poked home for his first goal since December 10. Jack Butland produced an acrobatic save to tip Albert Adomah’s curling shot over the bar, before substitute Robert Glatzel had a powerful shot blocked in the box.
But Smithies pulled off a stunning save to deny Campbell a goal late on.
“It was hugely disappointing, from the first whistle to the last,” said Bluebirds boss Neil Harris.
“That’s nowhere near the levels we set. It’s not good enough. We’ve conceded two poor goals and missed that little bit of spark.”