POWELL AND THE GLORY

Potters sub Nick leaves it late to rescue point for frustrated O’neill

FRUSTRATED Michael O’neill admitted Stoke missed a trick as they left it late to snatch a battling draw with Birmingham.

The Potters dominated but needed substitute Nick Powell’s late equaliser to avoid defeat after Harlee Dean’s first goal for 10 months put Blues on course for a smash-and-grab win.

“It’s a frustrating game because we were well on top for the majority of the game,” said Stoke boss O’neill. “And then we gave ourselves a difficult task by losing the goal from a corner.

“But credit to the boys, they kept going and got the equaliser. These are games that, quite possibly in the past, we may have struggled a little bit or maybe lost.”

O’neill had admitted it was “inevitable” players would be disappointed as he made seven changes for Birmingham’s visit. But his brave move nearly l backfired b kf d until l Powell’s late intervention.

The visitors had started brightly, with Ivan Sanchez lashing hing a shot high and wide. But Steven Fletcher twice e went agonisingly close to putting the Potters ahead.

The Scotland striker fired a thunderous leftfoot strike just wide, then n struck the angle of crossbar sbar and post with a free-kick.

Mi d f i el d e r John O bi Mi kel reacted to the rebound, but his goalbound effort was deflected over the bar. Stoke again threatened when Sam Clucas whipped in a freekick in first-half injury-time, Harry

THE NICK OF TIME Nick Powell steals in to score and seal a point for Stoke and (below) he celebrates his goal

Souttar nodded dd d across the face of goal and Lee Gregory headed over. James Chester got his head to a corner six minutes after the resta start but his effort was cleared of the line by Lukas Jutkiewicz. Birmin gham were ahead on 65 minutes when Dean (left, celebrating) outjumped Chester to power home a head header.

O’neill reacted by introducing Powell and Campbell. It paid off when Powell’s close-range shot went in off Dean with four minutes to go.

Blu e s b o ss Aitor Karanka said: “You can think it a shame we didn’t win , but we didn’t create a lot of chances.”

STOKE: Davies 6, Tymon 7 (Mcclean 81), Fox 7,

Souttar 7, Chester 6, Smith 6, Clucas 7, Mikel 6, OakleyBoothe 6 (Powell 72, 7),Gregory 6 (Campbell 72, 7), Fletcher 8.

BIRMINGHAM: Etheridge 6,Pedersen 6, Friend 7, Dean 7, Colin 6, Bela 6 (Roberts 72, 5), Clayton 6, Sunjic 6, Jutkiewicz 6 (Hogan 87, 4), Toral 6 (Crowley 61, 6), Sanchez 6. STEVEN FLETCHER (STOKE)