Potters show Brentford who deserves to be top

Last Updated : 10-Nov-2001 by


Another fantastic game and another fantastic result. Hanging onto the lead at the end of the game was very tense but we looked stronger in defence than against Blackpool and it was pretty safe that we wouldn't concede.


Sergei 'The Man' Shtanyuk scored his first goal for the potters, heading home a Bjarni Gudjonsson corner to put the potters 3-2 up in the 79th minute. The other goals - 1st another Gunnarson Goal, Brynjar has been knocking them in alot recently and scored from a fantastic Hoekstra cross. Hoekstra turned provider again not long after the break, his persistance took the ball away from a Brentford defender and laying it off perfectly in the centre for Iwelumo to take full advantage.

'There's Only One Big Chris!'

Iwelumo was treated like a star after his goal by the crowd. He did injure himself either when scoring the goal or during the celebration but he got a huge standing ovation when he was substituted off the pitch.

'Is that all you take away?'

This afternoons attendance was just under 18,000, but the Stoke end was mostly full. It was Brentford who let us down. The normal away crowd for a club in that position would have seen the attendance of over 20,000 - but Brentford took a measly 700 or so - They certainly don't deserve the team they have when so little amount of people turn up to a promotion clash.


THE SPORTS.COM MATCH REPORT ------------------------

A 79th minute winner from Stoke's Belarus international

skipper Sergei Shtanyuk consigned league leaders Brentford to their first defeat in eight games, enabling The Potters to close the gap at the top.

A crowd of just under 18,000 watched the visitors twice claw their way back into the game, to level strikes from Bjarni Gudjonsson and Chris Iwelumo.

But goals from Ben Burgess and Lloyd Owusu weren't enough to prevent the home side from extending their unbeaten run to 10 games.

Stoke were without influential midfielder James O'Connor. The 22-year-old Dubliner, missing through suspension, was replaced by 20-year-old Lewis Neal, making his home league debut.

The Bees were forced to start without the suspended Stephen Hunt and Paul Gibbs and were also missing leading goal scorer Paul Evans, out with a torn hamstring.

Stoke goalkeeper Neil Cutler was soon called into action, getting down smartly to push an angled snap-shot from Owusu around the post.

The home side's first attack of note came in the ninth minute when Wayne Thomas skipped past Ijah Anderson on the Brentford left.

His ball into the box was only partially cleared and Gudjonsson fired just inches over from 25 yards.

Brentford keeper Olafur Gottskalksson needed to be at his best to fingertip a close-range header from Iwelumo over the bar on the half-hour.

But there was nothing the Icelander stopper could do a minute later, when fellow countryman Gunnarsson headed Stoke in front.

Dutch winger Peter Hoekstra showed off some dazzling footwork on the left flank, before crossing for Gunnarsson to send a firm ten-yard header into the corner of the net.

But on the stroke of half-time Burgess levelled the scores when he swivelled on the edge of the box to fire home a left-footed half volley.

Owusu fired inches wide as the visitors went looking for an early second half goal, but it was The Potters who got the dream start, with a 48th minute goal from Iwelumo.

Again, it was Hoekstra who was the provider, squaring the ball for Iwelumo, who calmly stroked the ball home from just inside the 18-yard box.

The visitors upped the tempo and squared the match seven minutes later, when Owusu made the most of a rare error by Stoke's skipper Peter Handyside, to superbly chip Cutler from 15 yards.

But with 11 minutes to go, Shtanyuk got on the end of Gudjonsson's corner to power a six-yard header into the net, giving City three precious points