Stoke City: Pulis calls on fans to back Carling Cup bid

Carling Cup quarter-final

Stoke City v Derby County (7.45pm)

TONY Pulis is hoping Stoke fans can find the money to turn up in numbers and fight fire with fire when Derby roll into town tonight with an army of around 4,000 travelling fans behind them.

He insists a cracking atmosphere will be vital if Stoke are to prevent an upset and reach the final four of the competition for only the second time since the final of the competition was played at Wembley.

"I know times are tough for a lot of people out there, not to mention Christmas coming up," Pulis acknowledged.

"So I just hope those in two minds about coming tonight end up voting in our favour and finding the money to do it.

"I think they know how much we value their support, but I shall never tire of reminding our supporters because it's been shown time and time again just how much difference they make."

Victory tonight would dispatch Stoke into the semi-finals for the first time since the club's famous 1972 triumph under Tony Waddington and Pulis observed: "These chances don't come along very often, perhaps only once in a lifetime for many people.

"And now we are this close, we will be doing everything possible to make that next step towards the big one."

He is likely to draft more experience into his Carling Cup line-up after mixing and matching his players in the earlier rounds against Cheltenham, Reading and Rotherham.

That could mean a starting place for the likes of defenders Danny Higginbotham and Abdoulaye Faye, midfielder Rory Delap and striker Ricardo Fuller for the first time in this season's competition.

But Pulis would only say: "There's a few knocks and bruises to take into consideration after Saturday, but whichever 11 go out there it will be an 11 I consider capable of winning the game."

Not that he is under-estimating Derby, or their manager Paul Jewell, despite a wretched run that includes defeat (and no goals) in their last three away games.

"Paul is an experienced and very able manager," Pulis added, "and so there's no doubt he will get it right there.

"They will be dangerous tonight, especially with all those fans behind them."