Speed machine King keeps Rovers purring
FORMER Manchester United trainee Josh King scored a famous FA Cup hat-trick as Stoke City boss Mark Hughes suffered a nightmare return to Ewood Park.
Rovers fans mockingly chanted ‘Hughesy, Hughesy, what’s the score?’ as their former manager watched his Premier League o ut fi t collapse after being reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half-time.
Despite going i n front through Peter Crouch, Stoke couldn’t handle King, a 23-year-old Norwegian-born striker who left Old Trafford after making just two firstteam appearances and was only playing yesterday because star striker Jordan Rhodes needed a rest.
He drew his side level with a header and after Rudy Gestede had put the Championship underdogs ahead with a penalty, King added two more in the second half by out-sprinting the Stoke back line. By that time, Stoke were a man short with Geoff Cameron dismissed for the foul that led to Gestede’s spot-kick.
‘Kingy will get the headlines and rightly so,’ said Rovers manager Gary Bowyer. ‘He has had a great education at Manchester United and shown here what he is capable of.
‘The challenge for him now is to produce it on a regular basis. What can I tell you about him? He lives i n Manchester and drives a car that’s too fast, probably the same speed he can run.’
Hughes, who was Blackburn’s manager between 2004 and 2008 before leaving for Manchester City, wasn’t happy that his players wilted so easily under pressure. ‘Blackburn were direct but that is valid. They executed their game plan better than us. I have no complaints,’ he said.
Even so, Hughes will be hurting this morning. He won the FA Cup four times as a player and fancied emulating the Stoke team who reached the final in 2011, hence he named his strongest side save
STOKE CITY will launch an investigation after their fans were involved in skirmishes with stewards towards the end of yesterday’s defeat at Ewood Park.
for regular cup keeper Jack Butland for Asmir Begovic.
It started well for the visitors when Crouch turned in a Victor Moses corner after 10 minutes and should have added a second when Mame Biram Diouf blazed over from six yards.
However, Stoke’s new vulnerability at set pieces cost them after 36 minutes. Shane Duffy headed a corner goalwards and King got the final touch with his head.
When referee Anthony Taylor signalled eight minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half — due to a shoulder injury to Ben Marshall — Stoke were rocking badly.
Butland fluffed a cross and needed Philipp Wollscheid to clear off the line. Stoke’s indecision was becoming fatal and in the next attack, Gestede was brought down by Geoff Cameron, the referee pointed to the spot and sent off the American defender. Gestede coolly scored his 13th goal of the season from 12 yards.
Within 10 minutes of the restart Stoke were heading out of the Cup.
Both goals after 50 and 55 minutes were similar, King’s pace on the break taking him clear of the Stoke defence and low finishes too good for Butland.
He was so quick for the first, Marc Muniesa pulled a hamstring trying to catch him. He wasn’t the only visitor left in pain.