SHAW THING
Ryan’s a perfect 10
RYAN SHAWCROSS admits he has had to dig deep to rekindle his Stoke career.
The Potters captain is now 10th on the all-time list for appearances with 426.
But he had to win his place back in the starting line-up this season as Gary Rowett’s side struggled in the Championship after relegation.
Shawcross, 31, who has one England cap from 2012, said: “It’s one of those things that sometimes you get dropped and the easiest thing is to blame anyone else.
“But I was out and I looked at myself. I said to myself that I needed to train hard, keep my mouth shut, get on with it and see what happens.
“I’ve been fortunate enough – I believe because of the way I traiCneAdP–TItOo tebuagck in and s®tay ÊiÊenr.ciliquat same principles I’ve kept through my career, to train hard and hopefully play well.
“If it’s not working, train even harder. It’s something that’s served me well and it’s something that I’ll always do.”
Now Shawcross is keen to add to his tally of games for Stoke ahead of Millwall’s visit today.
Work
The defender, signed from Manchester United in 2008 after a successful loan, said: “When you join a club, you don’t expect to be here as long as I have been.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m delighted to get into that top 10 but there’s a lot more work to be done with the team and hopefully with me.
“I’m not really looking at the players who are above me, thinking I’d like to overtake him or him.
“I just have targets to play as many games as I can before I finish my career.
“I feel as fit as ever, I feel strong. It’s up to me to keep high standards of fitness and try to stay in the team.”
Millwall skipper Steve Morison knows the Lions must stop handing opponents the advantage if they are to climb out of the drop zone.
He said: “We are making too many errors as a team and conceding too many first goals.
“We’ve scored quite a few but could still be more clinical – we need to score more because we are letting too many in.
“But we try to do everything as a team. If someone makes a mistake, you try and get your mate out of it.”