The evening started with the team news that Ryan Shotton and Dave Kitson retained their places ahead of Andy Wilkinson and Ricardo Fuller, who both took their places on the bench.
Referee Alan Wiley had barely signalled the start of the game when the hosts were in front. Liam Lawrence swung in a corner that was flicked on at the near post by Ryan Shawcross, the ball perfectly directed into the path of the incoming Abdoulaye Faye. Faye, expected to be confirmed club captain this season, powered his header past Jacobo in the Spaniards goal to get the crowd on their feet.
The crowd were up for the match all night long, getting involved more than in previous years friendlies, as they obviously looked to get themselves warmed up for the big kick off against Burnley in 8 days time.
There was nearly a second goal to cheer barely sixty seconds later as Lawrence, who frequently alternated wings with Matty Etherington all night, curled a 25 yards free kick towards the top corner. Jacobo had to fling himself to his left to tip the ball round the post and deny Lawrence a confidence boosting goal.
The tourists could have been level on six minutes as Nauzet, who looked dangerous throughout the match, gathered a ball after it was half cleared by Sorenson, and tried to direct the ball into the net from 40 yards. Sorenson, who had sprinted out of his goal to deny the initial chance, was thankful to see the ball drop a couple of yards wide of the post.
Carlos Lazaro was next to try his luck for the visitors when he found himself in space in the midfield and blasted a ball over the bar from 30 yards, Sorenson watching this effort a bit more comfortably.
The Potters were still looking dangerous and playing some good football when in possession and on twelve minutes Etherington cut in off the right, drifted past a couple of defenders before spotting the darting run of Lawrence. January signing Etherington tried to slide the ball through to the winger but found his pass cut out at the last minute by full back Prieto, with Lawrence sensing a one-on-one opportunity.
Nauzet was quickly at it again, this time getting his effort on target as his sweetly struck 25 yard free kick forced Sorenson to get down quickly to gather and keep the lead intact.
In the last opportunity of a frenetic end to end opening to the game, before the pace inevitably dropped Dave Kitson, arguably the man of pre-season for the Potters, carried the ball twenty yards before spotting the run of an unmarked James Beattie in the area. Kitson chipped the ball towards Beattie but, even with an outstretched leg, the ball evaded the goal machine by a matter of inches.
In the 25th minute an uncharacteristic slip from Faye allowed Sesma the chance to line up a shot but Higginbotham was there to slide in and deny the tricky midfielder an effort on goal.
The Potters showed some great one touch football with Beattie, Whelan and Kitson exchanging short, sharp passes before Beattie turned and, with the crowd begging for a thunderbolt shot, chipped the ball into the area. New signing Dean Whitehead pressurised the centre back into heading upwards, rather than away, and as the keeper came to claim the dropping ball Whitehead was stupidly held back by the defender.
The ref had no option but to point to the spot and after much appealing from the visitors Kitson stepped up to confidently place his first Britannia Stadium Potters goal into the corner leaving the keeper with no chance. It was the flame haired record signings third in five games and he looks every bit the player the Potters thought they had purchased last summer.
The last opportunity of the first half saw Sesma drill a low effort at goal from a tight angle, Sorenson sticking out a foot to divert the ball away before smothering the rebound effort from Costa. The ball cannonned off the Stoke keeper, into the floor and looped towards the goal but luckily Ryan Shotton was on hand to smash the ball away off the line.
The second half started with Nivaldo crossing for Sesma. The cross was perfect for the winger but he somehow managed to let the ball roll up his shin and spoon over the bar from all of four yards out.
Shortly after the Potters made a triple substitution as Shotton, Kitson and Whelan made way for Andy Wilkinson, Rory Delap and, to a huge applause, Ricardo Fuller.
The subs may have wondered what they had done as barely sixty secodns later the Spanish side were back in it as Borja collected the ball in space and drilled a magnificent 30-yard effort across Sorenson and into the postage stamp area to leave all in attendance applauding a marvellous effort.
It was just before the hour mark when the first Delilah of the match rung round the 'bearpit' and it nearly inspired the Potters to a second as Lawrence rolled the ball to Fuller who, with the defender breathing down his neck, slipped the ball into the path of Beattie. The striker looked up an curled a dangerous cross into the box. Whitehead came powering in but was slightly overeager and the referee deemed him to have fouled the defender as the centre back put the ball behind for what would have been a Potters corner.
Vallodolid coach Jose Luis Mendilibar, whose attire was more of someone you would find down the local kebab house than the manager of a handy La Liga outfit, and he decided to introduce a familiar face on 62 minutes as ex-Manchester United and Hull City star Manucho was brought on for Antonio Barragan.
With twenty five minutes left a 20-man game of handbag slapping took place after Beattie caught dangerman Borja late. The creative midfielder lept to his feet, well one of them, and hopped over to confront the Potters hitman. Referee Wiley stepped in and was subsequently brushed aside by Borja, an offence that would surely have seen an instant red card had the match been a competitive game, but he escaped with just a ticking off, whether he understood a word of it is another matter.
The resulting free kick was blocked by the wall before Nauzet fizzed the rebound past the post with the keeper beaten.
Danny Pugh was next to be introduced as he replaced Beattie in the 68th minute, Rory Delap the man being pushed forward to partner Fuller, another sign fo how short the Potters are in the final third going into the season.
The Stoke sub curse struck again as two minutes after Pugh's arrival Manucho did the impossible and outmuscled Faye before cutting the ball back, just out of the reach of Shawcross, to Bueno who sidefooted into the corner to level the scores up.
The 75th minute nearly saw the curse reversed as, moments after Cort replaced Faye, Lawrence hit a free kick that deflected wide of the post. The ball landed in the nets behind the goal, left up as the stands were empty, and the Seddon Stand rose in belief that the effort had actually gone inside the post and the goal net was what was rippling.
The Potters, knowing full well this was their last chance to get a first team victory this pre-season, pushed forward and Fuller headed Etherington's cross wide from 8 yards, after finding himself with the freedom of the box.
The game petered out as both sides decided to calm down what was, on occasions, a very fiesty affair and the only remaining chance was when Lawrence turned his full back inside out before crossing into the danger area. Delap rose at the near post but could only flick it on towards the back of the area. Etherington was waiting and decided to head it back towards the 6-yard box. The keeper, sensing the danger, decided to, for the first time all night, come and catch rather than punch the ball and was strong enough to withstand the pressure put on by Fuller as the Jamaican looked for a last ditch winner. |
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