Walters completes rout as Stoke make first final

STOKE’S long wait for an FA Cup final appearance is over and if their performance in humiliating Bolton was anything to go by, their return visit to Wembley on May 14 could yet deliver more success.

This was the ‘other’ semi-final, the one that was supposed to provide the punchbag to face the winners of the Manchester derby 24 hours earlier.

City’s celebrations after that game were laced with a sense of destiny that the cup was theirs.

That outcome will be viewed with less certainty by City after Stoke reached their first final in style.

Capitalising on Bolton weaknesses, Stoke shunned their familiar direct style to conjure five good goals, three before half time from Matthew Etherington, Robert Huth and Kenwyne Jones before Ireland striker Jonathan Walters added two more after the break.

Inept Bolton were left stunned and embarrassed while Stoke rightly savoured one of the finest days in the club’s history.

The opening 10 minutes offered few signs of what was to come with Bolton initially appearing to be the more enterprising of the two sides and coming close to opening the scoring with a rising half-volley from Gary Cahill.

That, however, was as good as it got for Owen Coyle’s side who then were afflicted by the kind of defensive frailty that would have embarrassed some of the teams who failed to get beyond the earliest rounds of this competition.

Paul Robinson, the left-back, was the first culprit, needlessly playing his way into danger on the edge of his own area. Etherington intercepted a pass that was apparently meant for Johan Elmander and drilled a left-foot shot beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen to give Stoke an 11th-minute lead.

Robinson, in the time honoured style of the guilty, attempted to shift the blame onto Elmander but he was fooling no-one.

At least he wasn’t made to feel alone. Six minutes later Bolton suffered a collective abdication of responsibility following Cahill’s headed clearance from a Rory Delap long throw.

Admittedly Cahill didn’t get much distance on the ball, but there was no excuse for Huth being allowed the time and space to meet the ball unhindered and scuff a half-volley past Jasskelainen, who should have done better.

That was the trigger for some Bolton fans to leave their seats, although it wasn’t clear whether they were making for the car parks or the stadium bars. Wherever they went, they didn’t miss much with their team once again responsible for their own downfall when Jones made it three in the 30th minute.

Martin Petrov gave the ball away feebly on the halfway line, allowing Jermaine Pennant to run 40 yards before releasing Jones inside the area with a pass that went through Cahill’s legs. The striker finished calmly and Stoke’s dream first half was complete.

Not that Tony Pulis had been forced to benefit solely on Bolton’s goodwill. They were by far the better organised team and coped with the size of the occasion much better.

Bolton’s attacks were blocked easily by a formidable defence in which Ryan Shawcross and Huth were outstanding, denying Kevin Davies, the fulcrum of Bolton’s attacking moves, the aerial dominance he normally enjoys.

The Stoke midfield, meanwhile, ran the game.

Bolton were shell-shocked at the interval, while Stoke were simply stunned at how easy it had all been. To have any chance of forcing their way back into the game Bolton had to start the second half positively.

Coyle introduced Mark Davies and Matthew Taylor for the woeful Petrov and Ivan Klasnic — two of the easiest decisions he will ever have to make — but the changes were not enough to shift the balance of the game.

Stoke were in complete control and Walters added a 68th-minute fourth when Elmander lost possession and Walters ran from halfway before cutting in on his right foot and shooting past Jaaskelainen.

Stoke were not quite finished yet, with Walters getting on the end of a deflected Jones cross before the end to notch his second of the game and put the seal on an impressive display.

Victory was Stoke’s, and deservedly so.