A dog’s life for Etherington

MATTHEW ETHERINGTON was welcomed to ‘Battersea Dogs Home’ after completing his move to Stoke yesterday.

The midfielder has been in the dog-house at West Ham, making only eight starts this season, but was welcomed into the warm by the Potters manager Tony Pulis.

And Pulis said: “I think Matthew feels it is right to get out of London and start again — perhaps we can give him the love and care he has not had for a while.