HUGHTON’S READY TO STOKE A CLAIM

Desperate Potters preparing to sack Jones

NATHAN JONES admits he is running out of time at Stoke – and Chris Hughton will be targeted if they make a change.

Stoke boss Jones is under mounting pressure, with the club rock bottom of the Championship with one point from seven games.

Former Luton manager Jones has pleaded for more time to turn things around, but ex-brighton boss Hughton is top of Stoke’s wish-list to take over if they make the change.

Hughton proved himself to be an expert at taking teams out of the Championship and leading them into the top flight, having done it with Brighton and Newcastle.

It will be a fight for survival for Stoke this season after a nightmare start, but the club still has Premier League players and wages on the books and are desperate to get back up in the long term.

Hughton wants to get back into management with the right job – having turned down Sheffield Wednesday in the summer – and Stoke are keeping close tabs.

Jones has just three victories in 27 league games to his credit since joining Stoke in January, and is now winless in his last 13 Championship matches.

Chairman Peter Coates has publicly backed Jones, but if he has not stopped the rot by the next international break in a month’s time he will be on dodgy ground.

“Everything seems to go against us at the minute,” said Stoke striker Lee Gregory.

“We’ve got a good manager. He believes in us, the players believe in him. We want him to stay here. Once it clicks it will be OK.” Stoke took the lead from a fourthminute Sam Clucas goal and to start with looked good.

But Famara Diedhiou headed an equaliser from right-back Jack Hunt’s cross, and a second Hunt centre in the 62nd minute caused so much danger that Tom Edwards put the ball in his own net.

But those two goals only came after Stoke captain Joe Allen was sent off in the 12th minute after he went in hard on Josh Brownhill.

“I don’t think the sending off was fair,” said Hunt.

“Joe Allen is an honest player and I feel sorry for him. It wasn’t a nasty tackle.”

LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER Nathan Jones is running out of time as Hughton (right) waits in the wings