Potters put points before plaudits

STOKE may not be winning many friends this season, but their happy habit of winning points could yet prolong their stay at this exalted level.

Another victory on Saturday over a fellow Premier League newbie lifted Stoke into the dizzy heights of 13th place and provided yet more thumping vindication of Tony Pulis’s substance-over-style approach. It was fitting that the hulking Mamady Sidibe, the man who best encapsulates Stoke’s methods, chalked up the winner with a thunderous 84th-minute header.

Albion’s struggles excepted — defeat left them rooted to the foot of the table — this is turning into a good season for the new-boys. Stoke and, even more dramatically, Hull, have defied expectations to claim a series of eye-catching results.

Both teams have beaten Arsenal this term, contributing to the malaise engulfing the Emirates, while Stoke have taken points off title hopefuls Liverpool. The Tigers, for their part, are within striking distance of the Champions League spots after 14 games.

“We play Hull next week and they have really been the flag bearers for the Championship in the Premier League this season,” said Pulis.

“We know it will be a very tough game but if we get the support of the crowd and if we play to our top form we will give them a really good game.

“The more clubs involved, the better. We prefer it that way. The top four clubs will eventually pull away but for the rest of us, the closer we are together the better. It certainly suits teams who are fighting for points every week.”

Pulis conceded that the newly promoted sides target wins against each other, but he remained adamant that no result is impossible in what is becoming an increasingly unpredictable division.

“The thing I would say is, looking at the results this weekend — Fulham have drawn at Liverpool, Arsenal have been beaten, Chelsea have drawn — you can’t just wash away any games.

“Yes, there are games you can look at and say: ‘We’re going to specifically target those games’ but, especially at the Britannia, if we are on it and the crowd are up for it and everything is going the way we want it to, we have every chance.”

Despite a number of upsets this season, some results still go firmly with the form book.

That was the case when Stoke were handed a 5-0 thrashing by Manchester United last weekend, but Pulis was delighted with the resolve his players showed in bouncing back from the worst result of the year with three points.

“We had out pants pulled down and our backsides slapped at Old Trafford. But we’ve come back from getting beaten by Manchester United and I thought the attitude and the application was first class.

“We scored a great goal, well worked down the left-hand side, and I was very pleased to see Mama score. It was a great goal, back across the goalkeeper and I don’t think anyone can say we didn’t deserve to win.”

Mowbray was left searching for positives after the final whistle, and found some in the character shown by goalkeeper Scott Carson.

Carson, involved in another high-profile gaffe for England in midweek, was barracked by the home support and subjected to a series of testing balls in the second half.

But Mowbray said: “The pleasing aspects were that I can’t remember Stoke threatening our goal too much and I don’t think we had too many problems with their long throws and corners.

“I had no fears that Scott wouldn’t be fine. He didn’t have a lot to do and what he did do, he did fine.”

STOKE CITY (4-4-2): Sorensen 6, Griffin 6, Abdoulaye Faye 6, Shawcross 6 (Cort 80, 5), Higginbotham 6, Soares 5 (Tonge 65, 6), Amdy Faye 6, Diao 6, Delap 6, Kitson 5 (Cresswell 11, 6), Sidibe 6.

Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Olofinjana, Whelan, Wilkinson.

WEST BROM (4-4-2): Carson 7, Zuiverloon 6, Meite 7, Olsson 6, Robinson 6, Greening 6, Valero 6 (Bednar 86, 5), Kim 4 (Teixeira 57, 5), Brunt 6, Koren 6, Miller 6.

Subs Not Used: Kiely, Cech, Barnett, Moore, Donk.

REFEREE: Lee Mason (Lancashire) 7: The game had little flow or shape, but that was not the referee’s fault.

MATCH RATING: ** A Championship game in all but name, although Stoke’s exceptional home form might just keep them afloat.