by Martin Spinks

DANNY Higginbotham reckons there is an esprit de corps among Stoke's so-called B team as they head into their Carling Cup tie at Portsmouth tonight (7.45pm).

The B boys have already come through lengthy and dramatic ties against Leyton Orient and Blackpool to reach tonight's fourth-round clash.

And many of them are senior players consoling one another at their demotion from the first-team frontline.

They include Higginbotham, after losing out to Danny Collins at left-back some six games ago. on September 12.

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