TUBBRITT.NET

February 7, 2002

2001/2002 Match Report

Nationwide League Division Two

Stoke City

AFC Bournemouth

Date	29/09/2001
Score	2 - 0
Venue	Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
Kick Off	3.00 PM
Attendance	14,000
Weather	Sunny and warm
Referee	M Clattenburg
Goal Scorers	Maher og, Wayne Thomas
Cards	Yellow: Gunnarsson
Pitch	Super surface

Player	Rating	Comment
Cutler	8	Commanded area and great poenalty save
Thomas	8	Super goal won every ball, great overlaps down right
Clarke	7	Shakey start but got more into game as it went on
Handyside	8	Captain lead by example and did everything simple
SHATNIUK	9	WONDERFUL RANGE OF PASSING, VERY POWERFUL AT BACK
Gudjonsson	5	Never got out wide on right, gave up to easy if he lost ball
Gunnarsson	6	Still struggling after injury
O'Connor	7	Battled well in midfield, covered a lot of ground
Vandeurzen	7	Did well on left, always looked for ball and threw in super crosses
Cooke	6	Worked hard but missed too many chances
Thordarson	6	Didn't do enough over match
SUBS
Henry		brought on for last few minutes
Iwelumo		brought on for last few minutes

It was a pleasure to be inside the Britannia Stadium on Saturday as Stoke recorded their third win in four games. The bright sunshine inside the ground was only the start for the 15,000 fans who turned up to watch this promotion chasing team. Team selection remained the same as the previous Wednesday as Peter Hoekstra still struggled with a back injury but was on the bench in case things weren't going the Potters way.

A great clearance off the line by Peter Handyside lead to the first Stoke goal, the ball was played up the field, Gudjonsson received it and ran up the line to send a low cross into the box where Bournemouth Centre Half Shaun Maher turned the ball into his own net. Stoke ran the half after this with Shatniuk spraying the ball around the pitch at will. Our defence was solid throughout and never gave the U's forwards a sniff of the ball. Our forwards lacked the movement of a quality strike force and this lead to chances being missed as balls were being played over the top and crossed in by Jurgen Vandeurzen.

The second half had bearly started when Wayne Thomas scored his first ever goal for the Potters. Thomas arrived at the back post as the U's keeper Stewart Gareth parried the ball to his left, to fire home from 5 yards. Again Stoke ran the match and should have been more goals to the good as Andy Cooke missed a great one on one chance and also missed a glorious cross from Vandeurzen. A late penalty was given away by Vandeurzen but Neil Cutler was equal to it as he dived to his left to push the ball around the post. This was the third time that in three seasons that Bournemouth missed a penalty in the Britannia. The crowd of just under 15,000 (kids for a quid promotion, helped to increase the attendance) when home happy as the Potters went to fourth in the table.