A day of despair for Irish brigade

WEMBLEY, they say, is not a place to lose a football game and for Stoke’s Irish brigade the FA Cup final ultimately ended in disappointment.

Glenn Whelan, Rory Delap, Marc Wilson and Jonathan Walters were all chosen to start but were unable to inspire their team on a day when Stoke struggled to deal with the occasion.

Dubliner Whelan and Belfast-born Wilson had a tough job against match-winner Yaya Toure, whose power, pace and tenacity was key for a City side that dominated the first half as Stoke slept.