It was perhaps asking too much of this season’s FA Cup to give us another fourth-round shock after a weekend of upsets. There were to be no more League One heroics at Spotland to go with Bradford’s humbling of Chelsea.
They tried. Goodness knows Rochdale tried, and at times in the first half Stoke were certainly rocking.
But the Premier League side already had the cushion of a stunning early strike from Bojan Krkic, and they smoothed their passage with second-half goals from substitute Stephen Ireland and Victor Moses.
It did come at a cost, however, with Bojan limping off before half-time with a knee injury. Stoke’s inspirational playmaker left the ground on crutches and was driven away long before the game had finished.
The draw for the fifth round was made before kick-off, handing the winners of this tie a trip to Blackburn Rovers where both managers, Keith Hill and Mark Hughes, played earlier in their careers. Hughes also went on to become manager at Ewood Park, leading Blackburn to the semi-final in 2007.
Hill requested that news of the draw was not broadcast over the matchday tannoy beforehand to prevent his players from finding out as they prepared for their biggest match of the season.
Considering Manchester City’s capitulation to Middlesbrough after a few days in Abu Dhabi, Stoke fans must have wondered if it was a wise move their team going to Dubai ahead of the precarious visit to Spotland.
Hughes certainly wasn’t taking this tie lightly, however. Having seen his side go behind to Conference club Wrexham in the third round, he named a strong line-up with Bojan Krkic a surprise inclusion.
They tried. Goodness knows Rochdale tried, and at times in the first half Stoke were certainly rocking.
But the Premier League side already had the cushion of a stunning early strike from Bojan Krkic, and they smoothed their passage with second-half goals from substitute Stephen Ireland and Victor Moses.
It did come at a cost, however, with Bojan limping off before half-time with a knee injury. Stoke’s inspirational playmaker left the ground on crutches and was driven away long before the game had finished.
The draw for the fifth round was made before kick-off, handing the winners of this tie a trip to Blackburn Rovers where both managers, Keith Hill and Mark Hughes, played earlier in their careers. Hughes also went on to become manager at Ewood Park, leading Blackburn to the semi-final in 2007.
Hill requested that news of the draw was not broadcast over the matchday tannoy beforehand to prevent his players from finding out as they prepared for their biggest match of the season.
Considering Manchester City’s capitulation to Middlesbrough after a few days in Abu Dhabi, Stoke fans must have wondered if it was a wise move their team going to Dubai ahead of the precarious visit to Spotland.
Hughes certainly wasn’t taking this tie lightly, however. Having seen his side go behind to Conference club Wrexham in the third round, he named a strong line-up with Bojan Krkic a surprise inclusion.
posted from Bloggeroid
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