Stoke 0 Boro 0 – 11/12/21 3pm
Neither side really deserved even a point in this pre-Xmas drab draw. We’d have been better off Xmas shopping than watching this! For the record, here’s how the game unfolded in real time:
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Will Stoke do the beat-the-tricky-team-then-lose-to-the-lesser-one? Beating QPR last Sunday in front of the SKY cameras was astonishing, but this is the bread and butter that Stoke need to get their feet under the table with…or something like that. Surridge is back (bench) from being unfairly red carded after being savagely shoved into a hoarding! Clucas in for scuppered Sawyers (out for 12 weeks).
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7.02 With Stoke pressing, keeper Joe Lumley having to save from SuperMario. But when he punches a corner free he charges into Benny Wilmot. Ref stops play, not for a foul but for Joe to get up! Then gives a drop-ball to Joe alone! Who makes these rules up??
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10.50 Cracker Smith is shoved off the pitch and the ref gives a throw the other way! Replay is damning for ref. Is this how football should be shown to be played? Dangerous shoves into advertisement hoardings?
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15.05 Miss of the year by Duncan Watmore. A cross straight to his feet with just Davies to beat, and he scuffs it with the ball ending up under his armpit!! Can’t make this stuff up!
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23.20 Boro fans being fairly restrained, not even comparing the bet365 to a library. Their major contribution so far is to admit how poor Watmore is (in colourful language!).
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25.15 Just as Boro fans start complaining about the stadium, Clucas and co produce a great passing move to shut them up.
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30.32 Now Tyrese is put through…but somehow he muffs it. Then a few minutes later he fails to get an obvious corner after his flick is turned away.
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33.30 Batth practically rugby tackles a winger and is lucky to just get a yellow card! Boro then decide to waste time and have an unscheduled drinks break!! What is going on?? Ref is getting a right don’t-know-what-you’re-doing from the crowd.
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43.11 A shot from Bola doesn’t even make the corner flag it is sooooo wide it goes for a throw 10 yards from the flag!!!
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45+1 HT 0-0. No more, please.
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Attendance 21,140.
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63.05 Game has practically slowed to a standstill! Tyrese is hardly moving at all. Somebody will suddenly wake up and score…or Jacob Brown will come on and shake things up!
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75.00 and Jacob Brown is still not on!
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79.40 FINALLY, after only one shot on target (Vrancic early on, turned round the post), Stoke make a change. Brown for faltering Tyrese. Brown runs around like a 5 year old!~!
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83.01 Surridge for Fletch, and Ince for Vrancic. Now we’ll see something! (As Tymon suddenly starts hobbling!)
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85.00 Surridge-misses-a-sitter time! Thankfully his header wide is offside!
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90+4 and we can leave it there. 0-0. Can I go home now?!?
