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Shakespeare hails magician Gray who tormented Potters despite being wiped out by Shawcross
DEMARAI GRAY claims he will happily take a battering to nail down his starting place for Leicester’s exciting end to the season.
games. If they see me as a threat it’s a good thing and that’s also good for the team – because if they focus on me that could take the focus off other players.
“It’s a big learning curve. But I’m going to come up against those type of defenders so if I get knocked down I’ve just got to get up.
“I am better off taking it as a compliment if they’ve got to try to hack me to stop me.”
Shakespeare smiled: “He had an upbringing in the
The Foxes winger recovered stylishly from a Ryan Shawcross tackle that boss Craig Shakespeare claimed would have been more at home at last night’s Wrestlemania than the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
And after getting a shock late call-up following Marc Albrighton’s illness, Gray shone for Shakespeare’s side to push his claims for regular starts as the Foxes chase Premier League survival and more Champions League glory.
“He came and wiped me out with a bad tackle,” said Gray, who was flattened by Shawcross in the 16th minute.
“But when I play I’ve got to have an impact and be lively and direct and I did that.
“Hopefully I can be consistent and get a run of Championship so he’s probably used to it to a certain extent.
“But whether he’s ever had the force of a Ryan Shawcross before I don’t know. “It was like a WWF move!” Gray responded by tormenting Stoke and if he supplied the style, his fellow 20-year-old Wilfred Ndidi provided the killer blow with a stunning 25-yard drive into the top corner to open the scoring after 25 minutes.
Jamie Vardy then volleyed home a Danny Simpson cross and make Shakespeare the first Englishman to win his first four games as a Premier League manager. Shawcross completed 90 minutes despite being booked for his early challenge on Gray.
“He’s just that fast that it looked worse than it was,” insisted Shawcross.
“I tried to nick the ball and he got away from me.”
But the Potters’ skipper was more concerned with the lack of respect for his ninth-placed side as they chase a fourth straight top-half finish.
“It was difficult to take but we were playing the champions of England and it was a difficult game,” said Shawcross.
“It was disappointing for us to not perform but we are still in ninth place.
“We got a bit of media in the first year we got into the Premier League for staying up but since then it has been ‘little old Stoke.’
“We do well but no-one seems to notice.”