POTT SHOT AT TOP SIX SLOT
Under O’Neill Stoke pushovers no more
LOOK out, Stoke are back.
This might not be a re-run of the Tony Pulis era when the Potters pummelled teams with long throws and a bully-boy approach.
But Stoke are certainly no pushovers any more.
On a cold, wet day in the Potteries they ground out a narrow win. Sound familiar?
It should do because new boss Michael O’Neill has taken Stoke onto the shoulders of the top six and turned them into genuine promotion contenders.
On Wednesday they play Watford and on Saturday take on tabletoppers Reading. Both sides are suffering the jitters after a good start, just the kind of situation Stoke can exploit.
A year ago O’Neill took over a club in chaos, a club sitting bottom of the table and staring relegation to League One in the face.
“It doesn’t surprise me we are on the fringes of the top six,” said O’Neill. “We have that expectation. We found the club in a difficult position and, given where we are now, it’s a lot more healthy.
“The next two games give us the opportunity to see where we are, but we will be ready to play.”
Keeper Angus Gunn is new to all this. He has joined on a season’s loan from Southampton and will be between the sticks for up to eight weeks because of Adam Davies’s knee injury.
Gunn helped make the winner on his full debut.
His long kick in the 27th minute was headed on by Steven Fletcher for James McClean (right) to score.
Gunn said: “We have two very difficult games coming up bit, if you look at the results that both
Watford
and Reading have had in the last few matches, there’s a chance for us.
“I’m more than confident we can get a bit of a run together and keep pushing up.”
If you include the final four games of last season, when
McCLEAN STRIKE James McClean pounces on Fletcher’s header to fire the ball home for Stoke’s goal
O’Neill made Stoke safe, it’s now only two defeats in 13 league outings for the Potters. But this victory won’t linger in the memory.
“It wasn’t a classic,” admitted Rotherham manager Paul Warne. “Maybe it was a bit ’after the Lord Mayor’s show’ after we beat Sheffield Wednesday. Stoke didn’t cause us many problems but we should have asked more questions of them.”
STOKE: Gunn 6, Souttar 7, Batth 7, Fox 6, Smith 6, Mikel 7, Thompson 6 (Cousins 77, 5) McClean 8, Campbell 6 (Brown 77, 5), Fletcher 7, Powell 6 (OakleyBoothe 89) ROTHERHAM : Blackman 6, Harding 6, Ihiekwe 7, A MacDonald 7, Mattock 6, Jozefzoon 7, S MacDonald 6 (Crooks 5, 60), Barlaser 6, Lindsay 6 (Smith 60, 5), Miller 7, Ladapo 7 (Hirst 70, 5)