FANS WILL FONDLY REMEMBER THEIR SUNDAY LONDON VISIT
STOKE City picked up three points in front of the live Sky Sports cameras as Tyrese Campbell, Mario Vrancic and Adam Davies inspired a win at QPR.
Here are the moments you may have missed from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium...
TYRESE CAMPBELL IS LOVING LIFE
Stoke didn’t exactly march off the pitch after beating QPR. They soaked in applause from the away end and gave it back after 90-odd minutes of pretty much non-stop singing.
Yet Tyrese Campbell, somehow - and he’s got a knack for doing this - still then managed to be the only player out there, wearing a big coat and an even bigger smile as he saluted the 1,166 travelling supporters.
He’s got a bit of a special relationship with Stoke fans, who were happy to serenade him after watching the second goal since his return. There is no-one quite like Campbell in this Stoke squad for those situations, breaking behind the defence and the stadium in near-certain knowledge he will score. He has the pace and the movement to get there and the composure and skill to make it count. Long may he smile.
A NEW FACE IN THE TRAVELLING PARTY
Who knows what Frankie Fielding said or did but it worked for Adam Davies, who had one of the best games of his Stoke career.
Fielding has joined this week on a short-term deal, covering the injury to Joe Bursik until at least January, when Michael O’neill could potentially recall Blondy Nna Noukeu from loan at Crawley.
He warmed up with Davies and Jack Bonham, who was on the bench, before watching Davies pull off a series of impressive saves, not least Charlie Austin’s penalty and a oneon-one with George Thomas in the
closing stages. The 33-year-old will probably not get a game for Stoke. He might not even get a place on the bench. But if he is in anyway
responsible for Davies’s performance as motivator or mascot then perhaps he’s already earning a long-term contract...
STOKE’S LONG WINLESS RUN IN LONDON
There were a few posts on social media from Stoke fans in London before kick-off along the lines of, ‘What the fog am I doing here?’
It was a reasonable enough moment of self-assessment. Stoke hadn’t won in the capital in just over seven years and 32 matches, 32 long trips home. They were on the back of a deflating performance last weekend and two straight defeats against the in-form team in the Championship. And they could have watched it from their front room.
But days like that are why they did it. Days that surprise and make you bounce and, even if it takes another 32 games and seven years, guarantee that there will still be a few full coaches heading south from the Potteries looking for that heartbreakingly elusive hit.
THERE’S ONLY ONE...
Mark Stein was in the away end the last time Stoke were allowed fans in at QPR. It looks like he was back again this time, with posts online of
the Golden One posing for pictures. Supporters did spend a while singing about former players anyway, with Matty Etherington, Ricardo Fuller and Mama Sidibe among those being eulogised.
The away support since stadiums opened up again has been terrific, whether you’re a former player or not, in terms of numbers and noise. It’s pretty clear just how much a lot of people missed going to games for so long, win, lose or draw - but especially win.
Stoke have played pretty well at times on the road this season. They did it for the whole night at Swansea and in long patches at Preston, Bristol City, Sheffield United despite only picking up one point for those three games combined.
Michael O’neill is hoping his ‘work in progress’ will sooner or later start consistently delivering performances over 90 minutes that can secure results to match.
A MINUTE TO MAKE HAIR STAND ON END
It was an emotional moment when four stands started clapping in the sixth minute in honour of Arthur Labinjo-hughes, the football-mad six-year-old whose murder has sent a chill through the nation.
It was pretty unique when players, staff and officials then joined in after the ball went out of play.
There were similar scenes across the country all weekend. A spine-tingling moment of unity from the football world in the face of such horror.