Pulis keen to manage great expectations
The respective form of the sides going into the DW Stadium clash pointed to an away victory, with Stoke having won three of their previous four games while the Latics were in the bottom three with just one victory in eight league matches.
All the goals came in a frantic 22-minute spell in the first half, with Robert Huth giving the visitors the lead with a deflected free-kick before Ben Watson’s free-kick was diverted into his own net by James Collins on the half-hour mark.
A minute later Stoke were back ahead when a smart break ended with Matthew Etherington netting his third goal in as many games but five minutes before half-time Wigan again drew level via another deflection, this time Tom Cleverley’s shot flying in off Rory Delap.
The point kept Pulis’s side in seventh place, and he is expecting just as tough a battle when Ian Holloway’s Blackpool visit the Britannia Stadium next Saturday.
He said: “We mustn’t get ahead of ourselves, we mustn’t be too glib about picking up points away from home in the Premier League. We’re pleased with how we’ve been doing but it’s a tough league.
“And this year, with the three clubs that have come up collecting so many points, it’s a tougher league to stay in than what it’s been for the couple of years we’ve been in it.
“Blackpool will show that on Saturday. We’ll most probably have our toughest game. They’ve been absolutely superb.
“I think Ian (Holloway) has really rolled the underdog tag brilliantly and he’s got his players playing with no fear whatsoever.
“Because it’s Blackpool, people think it’s going to be a walk in the park.
“We’ll respect them enormously. Every game I’ve seen them, they’ve been well in the game and very unlucky at times not to get more than what they’ve got.”
Stoke are currently looking more likely to challenge for European football than become embroiled in a relegation battle but for Pulis the priority is clear — securing top-flight football for a fourth successive season.
“The most important thing for this football club is to stay in the Premier League this year,” he continued.
“We had a three-year plan when we got promoted and we said we needed to be in the Premier League for three years for the club to push on.
“Nothing changes. If we stay in the Premier League, I think we’ll have the infrastructure in place for the next generation of this football club to witness Premier League football.”
For Wigan manager Roberto Martinez, the performance was a source of pride as they bounced back after last weekend’s crushing defeat at fellow strugglers West Ham.
It could even have been better had Hendry Thomas not contrived to miss virtually an open goal from five yards in the first half, while Charles N’Zogbia saw his late effort brilliantly tipped on to a post by Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic.
Martinez said: “We all know the strengths of Hendry Thomas. I thought he had an outstanding game the way he sensed danger, and then he gets in a great position. Nine out of 10 times he’s going to hit the back of the net. That bit of luck is what’s getting away from us at the moment but it would have been all too easy to feel sorry for ourselves.
“We weren’t too happy with the first half, we were missing the purpose that you need against a team as physical as Stoke but the way we finished was something to be proud of. We matched their physicality but were trying to be ourselves and make chances. We wanted to take the game early on but that anxiety puts you in a situation which doesn’t allow you to relax, and the goals we conceded reflect that.
“The second half fills me with pride and another day we could have got the three points.
“The approach in the second half didn’t give anyone the impression that we just accept things,” he added.
“It gives us a great platform for the next fixtures in a critical period for us.”
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