Browse > Home / Middlesbrough, Stoke / Stoke come back down to earth with a bump

Stoke come back down to earth with a bump

August 31, 2008

Premiership newboys Stoke City came back down to earth yesterday as they were beaten 2-1 away to Middlesbrough. Stoke are everyone’s favourite to go straight back down to the Championship, and bookmakers Paddy Power have already paid out on them being relegated after their opening day defeat away to Bolton.

However they dug in last week and narrowly beat Aston Villa at the Britannia, with a last gasp goal, to give their critics something to think about.

Yesterday at the Riverside however it was Stoke who succumbed to the late goal, denying them the away point they richly deserved.

After having Amdy Faye dismissed for a two-footed tackle, and the subsequent free kick being converted into a goal, Stoke looked like they would suffer a serious hammering. However Borough missed a penalty that gave them the chance for a 2-0 lead, and incredibly Stoke equalised through a Justin Hoyte own goal.

It looked like Stoke would cling on until the dying minutes when Tuncay was fed through to beat Thomas Sorensen.

Gareth Southgate, the Borough manager, said about the game:

In the end we’ve just had enough to win it. It is the poorest we have played but the points are the important thing for us.

The way they play they cause you problems and we were a bit off it and didn’t pass the ball as well as we should have done.

We have six points but lots of work to do. We sneaked through when we weren’t at our best.

Written by Roy · Filed Under Middlesbrough, Stoke 


Comments

Got something to say?