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

I’M TOLD it’s not easy clasping a baseball-capped man to your bosom, but Tony Pulis no doubt appreciated the Stoke away support’s affection after last week’s tiff.

Make no mistake, the imploring cries of “Tony, Tony, give us a wave” just six minutes into this game felt like the football equivalent of a heartfelt “I’m sorry, duck”, a bunch of flowers and a cuddle.

Considering his record, TP had every right to feel aggrieved last week when City’s uninspiring first half against Portsmouth led to angry demands from a packed Britannia Stadium for him to “sort ’em out”, along with chants for his substitutes.

Grumbling on the phone-ins, message boards and letters pages is one thing, but last week’s dissent during the televised game must have – to use a Potteries word – sneeped the manager, no matter what he said publicly about supporters being entitled to air their views.

Saturday’s peace-offering chant was reciprocated with an “I know it’s only because you care” wave from the man himself.

The touch of mist rising from a soggy Ewood Park would even provide some soft focus should the club decide to reproduce the touching moment on the end-of-season video.

That said, there was some speculation the conditions were actually created by the steam coming from Abdoulaye Faye’s ears as he spent the first 51 minutes on the bench.

The captain has never been left out of the team before when fit, which is why he has started 48 of Stoke’s 52 Premier League games since promotion.

At least he was in good company because Rory Delap, who has started 47, was alongside him, having been dropped in favour of Liam Lawrence.

Pulis said the latter change was because he fancied City could hit Blackburn on the break.

He was right, because Lawrence’s inclusion helped them to make some rapier thrusts into the Rovers half rather than trying to bludgeon them into submission from set pieces and long throws.

Delap has done a sound defensive job on the right of midfield, but is happier in the centre and could return there at Arsenal next week because Dean Whitehead will serve a one-match ban after picking up his fifth booking of the season.

Faye could also be back in the starting line-up because Shawcross is an early doubt with the groin strain which forced him to hobble off here after 51 minutes. Faye’s eagerness to get on as a replacement was evident as he ripped off his jumper and thundered up and down the touchline like Giant Haystacks desperate to climb over the ropes to relieve his tag-team partner.

No doubt the fearsome Senegal international hadn’t been happy to be left out, but he’d made clear he wouldn’t be sulking having been delighted to see his protegé Shawcross lead the team against Portsmouth.

In fact, Faye said Shawcross was his son. Were this literally true, we can only imagine the mixture of bewilderment and terror suffered by teachers at a young Ryan’s school parents’ evening.

What Faye meant, of course was, far from feeling jealous at seeing Shawcross take the captain’s armband, he felt the same pride a father might feel when seeing his offspring’s first day of running the family business.

Admittedly, considering City’s dire first-half attacking efforts against Pompey, that would have been like Albert Steptoe watching young Harold take out the cart for the first time.

But despite the team’s failings going forward last week, Shawcross was excellent then, just as he was at Blackburn before injury struck.

He and the unchanged back four were inspirational as Stoke gained a deserved point against a Rovers side who walloped them 3-0 here last December and have only lost twice at home since then, to Aston Villa and Manchester City.

Stoke’s performance meant the loudest cheers from the home ends were for the half-time and full-time news of the 5-3 hammering Burnley suffered at West Ham.

The younger away fans may not believe this small Lancashire town, tucked into a fold of the Pennines, produced the Premier League champions 14 years ago.

Their fans remain proudly parochial. In fact, T-shirts on sale around the ground were entirely dedicated to poking fun at “The Dingles”, the name Rovers fans have given to Burnley supporters, who they reckon are like the unruly family from Emmerdale.

Those of a more Coronation-Street persuasion might assume a goalless draw between Stoke and Blackburn was as riveting as a night on the tiles with Ken Barlow.

In fact, this entertaining game could easily have finished 3-3. Stoke in particular deserve credit for playing some slick football and having a go at the home side.

Ricardo Fuller and Matthew Etherington were excellent going forward and unlucky that none of the chances fell to them.

Instead, two of the best openings fell to Whitehead, who should have scored either side of the break, but still turned in a performance fizzing with determination and industry.

Much more of that and he’ll be joining his manager in the Stoke fans’ affections.