DON’T LET DERBY NIGHTMARE RUIN OUR REVIVAL WARNS O’NEILL

Championship: 3pm

STOKE boss Michael O’Neill has warned his side not to let their Derby mauling become a habit.

The Potters were thrashed 4-0 at Pride Park last week after going into the game on a three-match unbeaten run.

Charlton visit today and O’Neill (left) is anxious the Derby result should only be a blip. He

NSTaOmKEeCvITYNvaCmHeARLTON

said: “If you look at our recent form, it’s been consistent with the better teams in the league.

“We mustn’t get into a slump where one defeat leads to another and another, where it affects confidence and morale.

“But we have the chance to put that game behind us. The boys have trained well and we aim to put things right. Charlton are similar to ourselves – we’re both desperate for points.”

Three of Stoke’s next four games are at home and O’Neill hopes they can benefit. He added: “We’ve had just one defeat at home since we came in, so that’s a positive.

“Those three games give us an opportunity to start a run of consistent form. The gap from us to the bottom three has closed from seven points to just two and we only lost one game.

“Wigan won two and that just shows the nature of the league. You can’t rely on anyone else.”

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer is backing Andre Green to follow the standard set by Karlan Grant. Bowyer converted Grant from winger to striker and he hit 14 goals in 28 games before moving to Huddersfield.

Now he is doing the same with Aston Villa loanee Green, who has scored twice in his last three games.

Bowyer said: “Andre’s quick, he can finish, he’s good in one-against-one situations. He’s settled into the role better and quicker than I thought.”