Ince: We must not lose focus.. we have to put our bodies on the line to finish games off

TOM INCE reckons Stoke must learn to kill off games after drawing at Reading.

The winger looked to have scored the winner before Mo Barrow equalised with seconds to go.

The Potters have now failed to win away since Bristol City in October, keeping them in mid-table.

It was a double frustration for Ince, who also felt he was fouled in the build-up to the late drama. “It was a stonewall foul. I’m sure if the ref watched it back he’d see that,” he said.

“But we have only ourselves to blame. As players we have to take responsibility.

“We did well to get back into the game and put ourselves in a winning position. Then it was a lack of concentration or focus or desire to try to get in among it and put our bodies on the line.

“We’re very close to where we should be, but it’s about that defensive mindset, that staying switched on in the dying seconds of a game that’s missing at the minute.

“It’s costing us. As for my g o a l (above), as I hit it I thought it would hit the bar and come out. As long as it went in, I don’t care.”

After coming from behind, Stoke boss Gary Rowett (right) saw his side dominate the game.

Reading punished the visitors for missed chances when Marc McNulty headed home before the break.

Benik Afobe equalised after the restart before Ince looked to have won the day with a stunning volley.

But that one-goal advantage was wiped out in the 94th minute when Mo Barrow (left) slotted home.

It was a relief for McNulty, who scored his first Reading goal after joining from Coventry this summer. The Scot had a penalty saved at Leeds last week and admitted he had to adjust from life in League Two.

“There’s a lot more quality in the Championship. A lot of the Stoke players have been in the Premier League,” he said. “I was gutted after the Leeds game and on the bus journey home, but I woke up Wednesday morning and starting thinking about the Stoke match. “The boys, the manager and the coaching staff were absolutely brilliant after the penalty miss. I put my hands up and apologised after the Leeds match. “For my goal I had an instinct the ball was going to land there so I made my move early.”

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