Stoke 0 Norwich 0 – 18/3/23 3pm
In the battle of the Cities it finished all-square, but Stoke again looked like the promotion-pushers. Chance after chance went begging as The Potters were roared on by a returning vocal Stoke support. They hated the ref at the end, though! Here’s how the game unfolded in real time:
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THREE great performances in a row. All against promotion chasers. Here come Norwich in 7th, all clued up on what Stoke are now about. Will The Canaries see through the Emperor’s new clothes or will Canary thermadore be back on the menu?? OK, enough of the dramatics. Defender Megan Fox replaces STRIKER Dwight Gayle. Remember, Stoke are at home today.
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0.00 ALL the players and officials (AND Alex Neil) take the knee. Former Stoke loanee Angus Gunn has today chosen the all-black strip with orange boots; ref switches to turquoise shirt to ensure he receives no back passes from Norwich defenders.
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5.28 Fox is outsmarted by a through-ball, but somehow with the help of Bonham, the shot is skewed wide. For some reason the ref has it in for Jacob Brown, and takes him aside for the longest chat I’ve ever observed. Is he trying to secure his phone number or something??? Bizarre.
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15.06 Jacob Brown now gets an elbow in the face! Ref take note. He then books Ben Wilmot for a harmless looking trip…
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21.30 Unbelievably, the Stoke fans burst into When The Reds Go Marching In. Norwich fans silent. Gunn stretching for crosses.
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24.15 Smallbone set up by Tyrese on the left, but Will (no surprise) is thwarted by Gunn. Angus then thwarts a header by Brown from a lofty first-time cross from the right by Hoever. Stoke fans really deafening now, but they need a goal and a result today.
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39.45 Great defending by Tuanzebe and Pearson, but Norwich pushing back now.
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HT 0-0, but Stoke look more the promotion pushers.
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47.15 After a delayed kickoff, Pukki blasts wide, probably put off by the rainbow hovering (or should that be Hoevering?) above the stand.
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Attendance 22102, which is quite believable.
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51.30 Brown blasts right at the keeper, whilst Pearson joins Wilmot in the book.
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61.02 Brown intercepts a Norwich corner, and skips off towards the Norwich goal, but his pass to Tyrese is not so clever…until Tyrese is flattened. Fans seem unimpressed with the aptitude of the referee.
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66.30 Tyrese illegally stops a Norwich break for the second time (this time a shirt-pull) …how he’s escaped a yellow is beyond me.
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67.10 Gunn dives to save a ricochet clearance that would have made a comical own goal.
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71.10 Pearson hits a piledriver that zings the edge of the side-netting, but if the ref hadn’t got in the way when he was shooting…. Meanwhile, Alex Neil is feeling the cold and puts on his heavy coat! Sun still shining over Burslem at least.
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75.10 Baker takes over as Captain as he replaces Hoever. Freed-up Laurent, beats two players and shies well over the bar.
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88.30 Tymon on for Laurent, as Stoke press for a winner!
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90+1 Crowd go mad as Tymon is penalised, despite his shirt being pulled.
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FT Frantic finish, but 0-0 it ends.
