Stoke City FC Three Months of the Premi
Its three months to the day since the players of Stoke City took to the field in the Premier League for the first time.Boltons ReebokStadium was to play host to2,500 that made up Stokes first travelling contingent in the top flight for 23 years. Some squad strengthening had taken placeover the summer before the game, club record signing Dave Kitson had arrived for 5.5 million a month before, to be followed quickly by Nigerian midfielder Seyi Olofinjana and experienced Danish keeper Thomas Sorensen, who arrived for 3 million and on a free transfer respectively. Then, the day before the seasons kick off, the signings of Senegalese pair Amdy andPharaoh Brown Jersey Abdoulaye Faye were sealed, the latter proving to be one of the Potters most influential players so far this season. His signing came too late to make it into the matchday squad for that first fixture at Bolton. Dave Kitson, Seyi Olofinjana, Thomas Sorensen and Amdy and Abdoulaye Faye were the sum of Stokes summer transfer activity The match itself at Bolton was one to forget as a Stoke fan. The first half hour of Stokes Premier League history went by without incident, before three strikes in the ten minutes before half time, two resulting from poorly defended set-pieces, left Stoke fans with their heads in their hands and Stoke players with an insurmountable mountain to climb. Ricardo Fullers late consolation did give Stoke something to cheer about, but it was too little, too late and as we left the Reebok, the Potters sat rock bottom of the Premier League. This was hard to take without the news that fellow new-boys Hull seemed to be coping admirably with life in the Premier League and had beaten Fulham. At that stage, the season ahead for stoke looked long and difficult, andI even entertained guilty thoughts of beating pleased to beat Derbys eleven point total from last season. A week later, Stoke hosted their first ever Premier league home game, the opponents Aston Villa. Stoke fans had been cheered in mid-week by the signing of young Southampton full-back Andrew Davies, who, despite not featuring yet this season through injury, looks to be a goodacquisition for the future.Andrew Davies joined the Stoke ranks Emotions following the Villa match could not have been more different to those of seven days earlier. A Liam Lawrence penalty, Fullers eventual goal of the month winner and Mamady Sidibes late header from the most potent of weapons, a Rory Delap long throw, sealed Stoke the points in a thrilling 3-2 game.Kyle Allen Jersey Meanwhile Abdoulaye Faye made an impre sive debut in the heart of defence.The win moved Pulis men up the table to fourteenth, a position that then, and now almost all Stokies would be delighted to find themselves in at the end of the season. Ricardo Fuller smashes home before Sidibe celebrates giving Stoke their first ever Premier League winStokes first Carling Cup engagement of the season came three days later, with a visit to League One Cheltenham Town at their Whaddon Road home. A weakened Stoke side was still strong enough to edge out the hosts in another 3-2 encounter, the goals coming courtesy of Glenn Whelan, Richard Cre swell and Jon Parkin, who has since departed for Preston. With the distraction of the League Cup aside, it was back to Premier League matters, with Stoke making a tough looking trip to Middlesbrough. Still, the Stoke fans who made the long trip were hopeful of at least a point on the day. Readings Ibrahima Sonko had been signed for 2 million the day Tytus Howard Jerseybefore, the centre back becoming the fourth Senegalese player in Pulis squad.Ibrahima Sonko added strength to the Stoke defenceSonko didnt feature against Middlesbrough, but the Stoke players who did made a bright start, more than containing their established Premier League opponents for more than half an hour. Disaster then struck though, Amdy Faye giving referee Mike Deanno choice but to send him off following adangerous challenge on Middlesbroughs Mohamed Shawky. Boros Brazialian forward Afonso Alves scored from the resulting free-kick to cap a very bad two minutes for Stoke. Midlesbrough mi sed a penalty in the second half before a justin Hoyte own goal gave Stoke parity against the run of play. Tuncay Sanli struck Boros winner with just five minutes remaining though, making the Potters leave empty handed. Despite the result, the mood was still positive for Stoke after the game. We had given a good Premier League side a hard game, despite playing for an hour with ten men, and who knows how things would have ended if the game had stayed eleven versus eleven. The transfer deadline pa sed two days later, Pulis re-signing Danny Higginbotham from Sunderland, and adding midfielders Tom Soares and Michael Tonge from Crystal Palace and Sheffield United to the squad. The sum of Stokes summer transfer dealings looked decent but not spectacular. Around 23 million had been spent, ona total of ten players,a figure we could only have dreamed of a few years ago. Abdoulaye Faye looked the pick of the bunch after two impre sive performances, but disappointment was growing over Dave Kitsons lack of form. What he needed was a goal. Few at the time though would have predicted that two and a half months later he would still be waiting for one.Danny Higginbotham, Tom Soares and Michael Tonge all signed for Stoke on transfer deadline dayDeshaun Watson T Shirts After a lo s, I always want the next game to come as quickly as po sible. Unfortunately, in early September we faced a two week wait with an international break. The next game came eventually though, Everton visiting the Britannia Stadium to play in front of Sky Sports cameras. Sonko and Higginbotham both made their debuts and Michael Tonge featured as a late substitute in an exciting match, Stoke falling 2-0 down before clawing in back to 2-2, with two goals sprung from the arms of Delap, one being Olofinjanas first for Stoke, the other a Phil Jagielka own goal, before conceding from a corner to eventually lose 3-2.Kitson battles Jagielka for the ball I felt after that match that Stoke showed an immaturity in defending, to get the game back equal and throw it away from a set piece. Thankfully, I believe that immaturity has been le sened with time, more clean sheets are now being kept. It is likely that if that match had been played now, we would have held on for at least a draw. So Stokes first month in the Premier League ended with the Potters having won one and lost three matches. The first two of the next month were to be a trip to Liverpooland a home fixture with Anthony Miller JerseyChelsea, so things hwed little sign of improving soon. Still, we were off the mark in the league, and through to the next round of the Carlin Cup for the first time in four years and hope remained strong that our fortunes would soon pick up, and with them, our league posit
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