The heat’s on Rowett as Barrow rocks poor Stoke

SO this is why Gary Rowett is under pressure. You look at the Championship table and Stoke aren’t in a bad position, but they aren’t showing too many clear signs of pushing on. They are seven points adrift of the play-offs and Rowett understands his side can’t keep losing points from winning positions.

‘I’m disappointed,’ he said. ‘We’ve played better than Reading, we’ve created far more chances than Reading and we should be going away with the points. We’ve got to be more clinical.’

Stoke were close to a sensational comeback win after Tom Ince’s stunning volley put them ahead at 2-1, but Mo Barrow’s 94th-minute equaliser erased all of their hard work. Reading had initially taken the lead through Marc McNulty’s header before Benik Afobe levelled for Stoke.

It was a glimmer of hope for Paul Clement, who is struggling to direct Reading away from the relegation zone.

‘The concern is the position in the league, and we are still not clear of it,’ he said.

‘But you can’t say that we have played poorly in the last two games.’