JONES FACES POTTERS AXE
Bacuna’s winner leaves boss on the brink
UNDER-FIRE Stoke boss Nathan Jones moved perilously close to the sack after another defeat.
Substitute Juninho Bacuna’s smash-and-grab goal did the damage as the battling Terriers heaped more misery on the sorry Potters.
Bacuna lashed home with eight minutes remaining as fellow strugglers Huddersfield claimed their first away win since November 2018.
Defeat for Stoke still sees them without a victory this season.
The pain was there for all to see as Jones’ misfiring side failed to deliver again in what has been a horrible run of form.
The Potters manager, right, axed former England goalkeeper Jack Butland after his howler led to a 3-2 home loss to Nottingham Forest last Friday night.
Australian Adam Federici took his place between the sticks.
And the Welshman made two more changes as Nick Powell and Tom Edwards dropped to the bench, with skipper Joe Allen and Danny Batth recalled to the starting line-up. Terriers boss Danny Cowley named the same side that drew 1-1 at home to Millwall at the weekend.
Liverpool loan keeper Kamil Grabara kept his place despite his mistake costing the club a long overdue win against the Lions.
The visitors started the brighter and winger Elias Kachunga should have put them ahead in the fifth minute but he badly miscued with the goal at his mercy.
At the other end skipper Christopher Schindler produced a fine last-ditch block to deny Lee Gregory his second goal in as many games. Allen then powered a header over from an inchperfect Cameron Carter-Vickers cross, but the first half was generally a dire affair.
Carter-Vickers went within a whisker of breaking the deadlock with a vicious dipping strike three minutes after the break. But this contest, unsurprisingly given the poor run of both teams, seriously lacked quality.
Sam Clucas whipped in a dangerous cross from the left wing but Gregory headed well over with 20 minutes remaining.
Substitute Tyrese Campbell then lashed a left-foot shot wide of the left upright. Gregory poked wide at the near post after good work from Peter Etebo, but the Terriers broke at pace on the counter and Bacuna scored.
Adama Diakhaby then forced a smart save from Federici.
But Bacuna’s first goal of the season and first goal since March secured a long overdue win for the Terriers.
STOKE (4-5-1): Federici 6; McLean 6, Martins Indi 6, Batth 6, Carter-Vickers 7; Etebo 6, Allen 6 (Duffy 87, 3), Ndiaye 6, Ince 6 (Campbell 59, 5), Clucas 6; Gregory 6 (Powell 81, 4).
HUDDERSFIELD (4-5-1): Grabara 6; Brown 6, Schindler 7, Elphick 6, Simpson 6; Grant 6, O’Brien 6, Hogg 6, Chalobah 6 (Bacuna 72, 7), Kachunga 6 (Diakhaby 54, 5); Campbell 6 (Mbenza 62, 5). Goal: Bacuna 82.