WEST BROM HIGH AND DWIGHTY Gayle jinx strikes Potters again
STOKE fans can’t help feeling Dwight Gayle has a personal vendetta against their struggling side.
Gayle popped up midway through the first half to settle things with his 16th goal of the season.
It didn’t come as any surprise to Potters fans who have seen it all before.
It was Gayle ( below) who scored both goals in the 2-1 win at The Hawthorns back in September.
This victory put West Brom up to fourth place, heady heights Stoke can only dream about.
Potters boss Nathan Jones is starting to realise the puzzle he’s taken on might be a lot more complex than he first thought.
Stoke have now lost five of the Welshman’s six games in charge.
Ironically, the one win he’s managed came against highf lying Leeds, which makes things all the more baffling.
Gayle broke the deadlock in the 28th minute with the very first clear-cut chance of the game.
Neither keeper had been troubled when Gayle’s scoring instinct proved the difference as he cashed in from a free-kick.
Debut boy Stefan Johansen floated the set-piece across to the left-hand side of goal where Ahmed Hegazi was steaming in. The defender took it in the air, volleying back across goal with his left foot and s t i cking it straight in Gayle’s line of sight.
The striker made no mistake, rising above pint-sized midfielder Joe Allen to power home with his head.
The Baggies pushed for a second, Kieran Gibbs forcing Stoke keeper Jack Butland to go full stretch with a long-distance effort which flew just wide of his left-hand post. You could feel anxiety rising among the Stoke fans, but it could have been so much worse had Jay Rodriguez cashed i n on a superb opportunity right on half-time.
The West Brom striker was presented with an unguarded goal 12 yards out when Butland hashed a clearance – but scuffed his shot wide.
Stoke stirred in the second half in their desperation to get back on level terms but still found it hard to break down the visitors’ resolute backline.
Tom Ince decided to go it alone with a superb solo run to the edge of the box but couldn’t find the finish to match. West Brom defended superbly to keep the home side at bay for the most part, though they did survive penalty claims when Gareth Barry appeared to handle.
That apart it was pretty much a routine win for the Baggies who strengthened claims to be in the promotion mix.
Stoke are nearer to the bottom than the top and though relegation shouldn’t be on the agenda, their pre-season billing as title favourites now seems light years away.