MOORE HELPS STUN POTTERS IN THRILLER
THREE goals in five crazy minutes turned a Cardiff crisis into a Stoke inquest.
The managerless Bluebirds were heading for their ninth straight defeat and about to incur the wrath of 927 travelling supporters.
Then, in the blink of an eye, boos turned to cheers as the Potters imploded instead.
Stoke boss Michael O’Neill said: “It is difficult to explain. I have seen the goals back and we have had a shambolic five to 10 minutes in the game.
“From 3-0 up and being comfortable, they are suddenly level and it is frustrating.
“I am extremely disappointed. We all are and the players need support in a difficult period.”
First-half goals from Jacob Brown and Steven Fletcher seemed to have ended a winless run of four matches. Fletcher’s beautiful chip for his second looked like capping the victory.
Instead the Welshmen hit back through Rubin Colwill, sub Mark Harris and Kieffer Moore to put the smile on the face of interim boss Steve Morison, in charge after Mick McCarthy’s sacking.
Morison said: “Was I fearing the worst? We had the worst, we were 3-0 down and it couldn’t have got much worse.
“But the fans never stopped singing and it’s about time they got something. This is what football is all about. We could have won it.”
No-one would have bet on the Bluebirds after an hour. Here was a side who had gone 546 minutes – more than nine hours – without scoring.
But Stoke are no great shakes either at the moment even if they did make a decent start.
First Ben Wilmot’s quality ball picked out Brown who headed the Potters into the early lead.
Then Brown fed Fletcher whose long-rangeeffortdeflected home before a delightful chip made it three.
The travelling support demanded more at the break.
And they got it. Colwill pulled one back after a misread by keeper Joe Bursik while a James Chester error gifted Harris the second before Moore completed the unlikeliest of comebacks.
.............. 3 ........... 3
STOKE: Bursik 5; Wilmot 6, Souttar 6, Chester 6; Smith 5, Allen 6, Sawyers 6, Thompson 6 (Vrancic
79th), Tymon 6; Brown 8 (Surridge (73rd) 4), Fletcher 8 (Campbell (73rd) 4)
CARDIFF: Smithies 6; McGuinness 5, Morrison
6 (Flint 84th), Nelson 6; Ng 6, Colwill 7, Vaulks
6, Bacuna 6, Giles 7; Moore 7, Evans 5 (Harris
(52nd) 6)