Stoke City 2-2 Portsmouth My View

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Ill break down what I see as the key points from yesterdays 2-2 home draw with Portsmouth.Rollercoaster fifteen minutesIf youd offered me a draw at the start of the game, I wouldnt have taken it, as a win over fellow strugglers Portsmouth would have been very useful. With fifteen minutes left, I couldnt see anything but a draw as an outcome, albeit a goalle s one. After Portsmouthtook the lead with little time left, I would have been happy to take a draw,then after we pulled it back to a winning situation and conceded from a cruel own goal late on, a draw seems a big disappointment. It was a fair result in the end though, but one that suits Portsmouth better than it does us.We have found a heroIt seems that in James Beattie we have found a true goalscoring hero. His two goals yesterday were his third and fourth in just five games for Stoke, and he has now become the Premier League player with more league goals than any other this season. It is the manner in which he scored that enthuses me most, firstly keeping his cool to score an excellent penalty, then being in the right place at the right time to finish off a scrappy second. At just 3.5 million, he is a truly fantastic signing and his goals could prove crucial in our fight for survival.Beattie is the out and out goalscorer weve lacked since Peter Thorne left the clubLady Luck is fickleIt is true to say that Stoke have not had the best of luck this season, with woodwork strikes aplenty and numerous refereeing decisions seeming to go against us. I thought our luck had changed however, when we profited from a bad penalty decision from referee Mike Jones before Danny Pughs mis-hit shot served as the perfect a sist for Beatties second. It seems its swings and roundabouts though, as a very unfortunate late own goal cost us two points.The late showTony Pulis gets a lot of criticism for playing too defensively once we get a lead, with late goals conceded costing us several times this season. Im a firm believer that all the late goals balance out over time, and those we have Brett Leason Men Jersey conceded against Middlesbrough, West Ham, Chelsea and Portsmouth are counter-acted by our own crucial late strikes against Aston Villa, West Brom and Newcastle.Injury return concernMamady Sidibe and Liam Lawrence made their first starts since December and October respectively yesterday after recovering from injury. With Lawrence, we were originally told he had only a minor injury and would be back in a week, yet his absence has stretched to four months, despite him being capable of playing, as we have seen by his recent cameo roles since early January (though he does look as if hes stocking up for winter). With Sidibe, on the other hand, we were told he could be out for the season, but instead he is rushed back into the side at the first po sible opportunity. Something doesnt ring true. There has been an apparent deterioration in the relationship between Pulis and Lawrence, which is a shame as Lawrence was so good for us last season. Sidibe and Lawrence returned from injuryThe oppositionPortsmouth didnt look to be a great side, though they certainly played better than some of the teams we have seen at Stoke this season, with Manchester City and Tottenham springing to mind as the two worst. Theyre still in the relegation mix, but seem to have turned a corner under Paul Hart and I expect them to avoid the drop.Player Ratings:Thomas Sorensen (gk): Denmarks number one had very little to do in the game except from pick the ball out of his net twice. he cannot be held to blame for either of Portsmouths goals though. 6Andy Wilkinson (rb): If only Wilkinsons pa sing was better, he would be an extremely good player, all the other attributes to his game are there, he is fast, strong, a good tackler and good in the air. He had a decent game yesterday, though as per usual he squandered the ball a few times. He did very well to get the ball into the box for our second goal. 6Ryan Shawcro s Lars Eller Men Jersey (cb): Shawcro s had a good game on the whole, dealing well with the aerial threat of Peter Crouch. He is to blame for his own goal though, however unfortunate it was, as he shouldnt be just swinging his leg at the ball in that position. 6Abdoulaye Faye (cb): Yet another good captains performance from Abdoulaye. Its wonderful to see his cool head in defence, I often think hes the best footballer we have with the ball on the ground as he continues to play us out of danger. He made an excellent saving challenge from Crouch at the end of the first half too. His score would be higher, butan eight seems too much for amember of a defence which conceded twice.7Danny Higginbotham (lb): Higginbotham had a reasonable game, notably getting forward better than he usually does. His numerous hoofs upfield were slightly more effective with Sidibe in the side. 6Liam Lawrence (rm): Lawrence looked quite Madison Bowey Kids Jersey lively in the early stages of the return, seeing a lot of the ball. He clearly flagged as the game wore on though and his delivery was generally poor. 6Salif Diao (cm): Diao wasnt as involved in the game as he can be, but he did make some excellent tackles and his calming presence was a benefit to the side. 6Amdy Faye (cm): Much the same as his Senegalese teammate Diao, he did little wrong but little to catch the eye in a game where midfields were largely bypa sed. 6Danny Pugh (lm): Pugh had a quiet game. He wasnt really involved in the action a great deal from the left wing position which is not his strongest. He did get a lucky a sist for Beatties second though. 5Mamady Sidibe (cf):Mama certainly helped our direct game on his return, winning his fair share of flick-ons and holding up the ball. He also looked unfit though, and his impact waned in the second half. 6James Beattie (cf): Beattie did exactly what he has done all his career, being in the right place at the right time to score twice. He was largely anonymous aside from that, but who cares if he puts away the chances he gets. He should also be commended for handling the pre sure to score his penalty in such emphatic fashion. 8Subs:Michael Tonge (rm): Tonge played well after coming on for Lawrence with 25 minutes left. He looked lively, playing some good pa ses and getting the ball into the box. Id like to see a lot more of him between now and the end of the season, but its unlikely hell feature heavily once Delap and Etherington return from suspension. 7Richard Cre swell (cf): Cre swell was only on the pitch for five minutes after replacing Sidibe, so I cant really give him a score. NAMy Man of the Match: James Beattie
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