by Michael Baggaley
michael.baggaley@thesentinel.co.uk

TONY Pulis praised Matthew Etherington’s skill, work rate and fitness – and didn’t forget timing after the 28-year-old sparkled on the day Stoke City remembered the greatest winger of them all.

Etherington probably ruined a few pre-written match reports which were all ready to comment on Stoke and Blackburn marking Sir Stanley Matthews Day with a long-ball contest devoid of any flowing football.

Instead, there was Etherington with a man-of-the-match display and a goal to show why he should be at least considered to follow former Potters wide men Sir Stan and Mark Chamberlain into the England squad.

Pulis reckoned the Wizard of Dribble would have approved.

“I should think so,” he said. “It was lovely for a winger to score a goal of that quality. I’ve been told that he (Matthews) didn’t score many goals, but provided bundles.”

The goal in question was Stoke’s third, on 67 minutes, when Etherington played a one-two with fellow winger Liam Lawrence, tricked half a yard of space from former Real Madrid full-back Michel Salgado and then passed the ball into the bottom corner from 12 yards with barely any pace, but such precision that former England keeper Paul Robinson had no chance.

Robinson did his hopes of an England spot no harm with three second-half stops which saved his side from an absolute hammering.

But Etherington should have the better chance of a call-up after continuing the fantastic form he has shown all season.

While Etherington was producing his own tribute to Sir Stan, Pulis marked the occasion by wearing a Matthews Foundation baseball cap and breaking with recent tradition by picking Stoke’s present-day number seven, Liam Lawrence.

The right winger helped Stoke exploit the extra space after Christopher Samba’s 59th-minute red card, having spent the first half knuckling down to the sort of hard-working performance which was essential against Rovers.

While the wide men did their best to live up to Stoke’s proud traditions, Andy Wilkinson was reviving memories of the fearless Denis Smith’s glory days at the Old Victoria Ground.

Having been accidentally volleyed in the head by Rovers striker Nikola Kalinic, the home-grown defender leapt back to his feet and then broke off from his treatment to cheerily applaud the Boothen End before playing on.

The right-back’s display rivalled Etherington’s as the man-of-the match performance, while his attitude typified Stoke’s efforts in overcoming their greatest physical test of the season.

Mama Sidibe’s pre-match assessment that, “I don’t think it’s going to be a beautiful game”, proved pretty accurate in the opening 45 minutes, despite Danny Higginbotham’s superb volley for the eighth-minute opener and Sidibe’s first-half injury-time second, slid home from Etherington’s perfect cross.

But it was easy to admire Stoke’s bravery, organisation and work ethic as they ground down Rovers before taking charge with some attractive football in the second half, even before Samba’s dismissal.

There were certainly no complaints among the home fans, who gradually turned up the volume the longer the game wore on.

The away supporters had started in fine voice, but became subdued in the second half, a situation we initially put down to the scoreline.

But tragic news of the Blackburn supporter who collapsed in the South Stand concourse at half-time, and died later in hospital, put their mood, and the game itself, into context.

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