Stoke call off ‘inappropriate’ awards as they fight the drop

Stoke City have cancelled their player of the year awards, saying it would be “inappropriate” after a season fighting against relegation to the Championship.

It is understood that the club’s hierarchy took the decision earlier this month, with the backing of manager Paul Lambert and his coaching staff.

Stoke are second bottom in the Premier League, four points adrift of safety with three games left and at serious risk of dropping out of the top flight 10 years after going up.

Lambert’s team face Champions League semi-finalists Liverpool on Saturday in search of their first win since Jan 20. Ryan Shawcross, the captain, has insisted there is hope of a miraculous escape. “If there are players that give up, they won’t be playing. Football’s a strange sport and it throws up these surprises so hopefully we can do one,” he said.

“Liverpool have had a few upsets at Anfield so hopefully we can capitalise on them. Obviously they’ve got two massive games in the Champions League, we are sandwiched in between that so hopefully their focus is away from our game.

“We’ve got to win all three games. It’s difficult, but it’s not mathematically impossible yet so we carry on fighting and we carry on hoping to pick up those three points. It’s going to be very hard, but that’s football, you never know what happens.”