Carling Cup fourth round

Stoke City 2, Rotherham United 0

1. ​

   Stoke City: Potters secure Carling Cup victory

by Martin Spinks

THE mathematicians will tell us the chances of drawing Arsene, sorry Arsenal, in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup are one in seven when the first hand dips into the hat at the start of Saturday's draw.

But football works in mysterious and wicked ways, so you just know the likelihood of Stoke and Arsenal being paired so soon after 'Wengergate' actually boasts a far higher probability than Pythagoras or Einstein would have us believe.

Either way, a first appearance in the quarter-finals since 1978/79 is justifiable cause for double checking the date of the Wembley final... just in case.

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Once again, the depth of Stoke's generous first-team squad was plundered by manager Tony Pulis to field a team capable of disposing of a Rotherham outfit deserving acclaim for their part in last night's decent fourth-round offering.

Only once, when forcing goalkeeper Steve Simonsen into a remarkably good save at 1-0 in the second half, did they truly threaten Stoke's grip on the tie.

But nor did they ever chuck in the towel when lesser spirits might have done after Stoke doubled their lead barely a couple of minutes after the Simonsen save.

Stoke's only disappointment was the absence of a late goal for Dave Kitson to crown an increasingly influential display in which he clearly fancied his chances against a tiring defence.

And but for an offside flag, he would have been celebrating that elusive first Stoke goal in front of an audience warming more and more to their record signing the longer the evening wore on.

Having produced his most eye-catching display yet in a Stoke shirt – and with the echoes of supportive fans still ringing in his ears – we can only hope last night's exertions prove something of a turning point for a player still seeking his true identity in these parts.

Stoke's first-half advantage was far narrower than it might have been after creating enough chances to put the tie to bed with a nice cup of Horlicks and a goodnight kiss.

But the one effort to pierce Rotherham's defences was a beauty as Glenn Whelan – captain for the night and a scorer when Rotherham were knocked out by Sheffield Wednesday last season – provided a timely reminder of his international pedigree.

A high boot had felled Danny Pugh to leave City pondering a 20-yard free-kick, centrally placed.

Whelan's run up was minimal as he dinked exquisitely up and over the wall to leave the visiting keeper flailing far too late in hopeless pursuit of a ball nestling inside his right-hand post.

The Irishman's accuracy was less clinical from a moving ball, however, as an early first-time effort screwed wide inside the opening 10 minutes, a 24th-minute drive veered off target and a rushed shot followed a similar path after Leon Cort had chested down Richard Cresswell's 37th-minute cross from the right.

But while Whelan's wayward shooting could be excused, Ryan Shawcross and Vincent Pericard could claim no such hard-luck stories as they both let Rotherham off the hook before Whelan's opener.

Shawcross was one of three Stoke players converging on Whelan's curling free-kick from the right, but volleyed wide when he might have stooped to head home with only the keeper to beat.

Pericard was also looking to the heavens shortly after when unleashed by Kitson's tidy through-ball, before lofting over on the run when, with more confidence and match practice, he might have taken on the advancing keeper.

Cresswell had far more excuse than most in that chance-laden first period after seeing his shot on the spin brilliantly clawed on to the woodwork by little more than a fingernail as it threatened to nestle inside the far post just after the half-hour.

Stoke might also have been offered a first-half scoring chance from 12 yards some five minutes before the break when Pericard appeared to be manhandled – to put it politely – but the decision was mysteriously given the other way.

Rotherham, who were not averse to moving the ball sweetly when given the chance, enjoyed their most productive first-half spell just after the midway point when Mickey Cummins and Nick Fenton both threatened.

Cummins, a former Vale man unbeaten on his four previous visits to the Britannia Stadium, saw a turn and shot superbly blocked by Shawcross, while Fenton failed to keep down a far-post header after using his superior height to outjump Carl Dickinson.

Stoke remained determined to keep the tie alive shortly after the restart when Seyi Olofinjana, one of only three players from Saturday's starting line-up, side-footed tamely from outside the area.

Pericard was far more purposeful five minutes later when drilling low and hard across the keeper to narrowly bypass his right-hand post.

And how fragile that one-goal lead was looking for a split second as Reuben Reid volleyed a left-wing ball, from deep inside the Stoke area, to inspire a simply wonderful parry from the hitherto under-employed Simonsen.

Rotherham's 2,500 fans had every right to anticipate the possibility of an equaliser – at least during this promising little spell – and it may well have come in the 57th minute had Drew Broughton not lifted his shot over following fine work by the increasingly lively Reid.

So imagine their sense of deflation a few minutes later when Stoke finally put some daylight between themselves and their persistent visitors just before the hour was up.

Not for the first or last time last night, Kitson's touch and awareness was crucial as he latched on to a ball breaking conveniently at his feet to prod forward and release Pugh for a free run and confident finish past an exposed keeper.

Attention now focused on Kitson's chances of finally opening his account for Stoke in what remained of a seemingly done deal.

And there was generous applause – and a few timely chants of his name – when Kitson turned his man out on the right of the Rotherham area before firing across goal and only a couple of feet past the far post.

Kitson then conjured a cheeky drag back to wrong-foot his marker on halfway – and right in front of his manager if you please – by way of a demonstration of his increasing confidence.

He was almost inevitably involved in Stoke's next serious assault, too, when combining with Pugh to release Cresswell for an unhindered run that was to end with a firm shot being well smothered by the approaching keeper.

The crowd was cheering his name like never before in the 79th minute when, having linked with substitute Ricardo Fuller via a cute little back heel, he was cruelly denied that first goal by an offside flag after following up to bury the keeper's fumble.

A promising goal-bound run was then halted by a well-timed tackle, while a thunderous long-ranger was blocked at close quarters, as Kitson continued his personal crusade to break that much-publicised scoring duck.

The goal never came, but the plaudits did, so he may yet come to feel at home in front of a crowd just itching, you sense, to warmly embrace their record signing.

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