O’NEILL PLAYS A LOAN HAND WITH KIDS

JOHN RICHARDSON STOKE boss Michael O’Neill is hoping his January loan sharks can help devour his club’s promotion play-off rivals.

The Potters have moved swiftly to borrow three players in the last week – Rabbi Matondo from Schalke, Tottenham’s Jack Clarke (above) and Rhys Norrington-Davies from Sheffield United.

The trio made debuts against Blackburn to give the visitors the look of a side who could have a big say in who goes up into the Premier League.

O’Neill had to be satisfied with a point after Nick Powell had deservedly given them the lead only to be pegged back by a late goal from John Buckley

But he said: “We’ve brought some young players in on loan and I felt they helped us.

“This is a market that I think all Championship clubs are looking into, bringing in young Premier League players that are available.

“Last season it was difficult because we were fighting for our lives.

“We weren’t that attractive to those sort of players. It’s a positive for us to be able to get those players in now.

“We had to sign players in the summer who were predominately older players and free agents, so it’s nice to balance the squad with pace and energy plus the enthusiasm you get with young players.”

Blackburn also have play-off ambitions but can only cast an envious eye over Stoke’s new boys.

Boss Tony Mowbray said: “The front players they have brought in... Rabbi Matondo, wasn’t he £10million to whoever he went to in Germany?

“Jack Clarke was £10m to Spurs from Leeds.

“This is Stoke City who were in the Premier League two or three years ago.

“Joe Allen has played for Liverpool, John Obi Mikel for Chelsea.

“They have got some good players. They have got some investment. They have got huge backers. They have brought in an international manager to try and get them back into to the Premier League.”

First things first, Mowbray would like to see an excavator to dig up the troublesome home surface.

“The chief executive knows exactly my thoughts about the pitch,” he revealed. “This one evidently hasn’t been changed for 28 years.

“If we are going to play a decent brand of football then we need a football pitch to play on.” BLACKBURN: Kaminski 7, Nyambe 6, Lenihan 6, Branthwaite 6, Douglas 6, Johnson 6 (Davenport 46, 6), Travis 6 (Holtby 63, 7), Rothwell 6 (Gallagher 46, 6 Brereton 61, 6), Elliott 7, Dack 6 (Buckley 70, 7), Armstrong 7 STOKE: Bursik 7, Collins 7, Chester 7, Souttar 7, Norrington-Davies 7, Allen 6 (Cousins 82), Thompson 7, Mikel 7, Powell 7 (Clarke 60, 6) , Matondo 6 (Batth 82), Brown 6

MOTM

JORDAN THOMPSON (STOKE)