Higginbotham unhappy with referee

Stoke defender Danny Higginbotham has claimed referee Stewart Attwell allowed himself to be influenced by “who shouted the loudest” in their 2-1 defeat to Bolton at the weekend.

The Potters were leading with just five minutes to go when Attwell, at 27 the youngest Barclays Premier League official, awarded a free-kick for a foul on Vladimir Weiss after some hesitation.