Striker fights emotion

There may be little room for sentiment in professional football but three points tomorrow would nonetheless give Jonathan Walters less pleasure than usual.

Stoke City host one of his old clubs, Bolton, in the knowledge that anything less than a win for the visitors will consign them to relegation.

“It’s not nice, is it? There are people I know there. Obviously for any professional to go to a game and know you could be changing the careers and lives of people on the other side is a big thing but you have got to put that to one side.

“As a team we want to finish on a high and if we win the game we equal the best points total that we’ve ever had in the Premier League. To have the season we’ve had... we will look back in a few seasons and say it was one of the best we’ve had.”

It’s a familiar scenario for the Potters, whose defeat at home to Wigan Athletic on the last day of the season 12 months ago was enough to save the Latics’ skins. Bolton must win and hope that QPR get nothing from their trip to face Manchester City.