Ireland ’getting there slowly’

Stoke 0 West Brom 0

Hughes decided to leave burly striker Kenwyne Jones and Peter Crouch on the bench with Irish forward Jon Walters playing as a lone striker to allow the Corkman more opportunities to push on in the visitors half in Saturday’s draw with West Brom at the Britannia Stadium.

“He is still trying to get to the levels I know he is capable of,” said the Stoke manager. “It is going to take time. We are eight games in and he has played three or four back to back now so he is getting there slowly.”