Stoke City v Man City: Dateline - Jan, 1999

PREVIOUS MEETING

January 29, 1999

STOKE 0

MAN CITY 1

(Wiekens 20)

The live TV cameras gathered for a top-of-the-table clash that Stoke were to lose to presage what was to follow in the remaining three months of an increasingly imploding season.

Having gone off like a bang under Brian Little in what is now League One, Stoke faded badly to eventually finish out of the play-offs in eighth spot.

The writing was maybe on the wall on this chilly Friday evening as City succumbed to a first-half goal from Dutchman Gerard Wiekens.

Stoke's cause was hardly helped when utility skipper Phil Robinson was sent off in the 39th minute of an increasingly lost cause.

Stoke: Muggleton, Heath, Small, Sigurdsson, Robinson, Woods, Keen, Kavanagh (Oldfield,39), Crowe, Lightbourne, Forsyth (Wallace,39).

Man City: Weaver, Crooks (Bishop,54 ), Edghill, Wiekens, Vaughan, Horlock, Brown, Pollock (Whitley,79 ), Taylor, Goater, Cooke (Dickov,79)

Attendance: 13,679.

FORM GUIDE

Man City: DLWLD

Stoke: DWLLW

WHO TO BOO

Richard Dunne, the first time he hands Ricardo Fuller his calling card.

WHO WE'D LIKE TO SIGN

Some would say Robinho, but Shaun Wright-Phillips might be more your all-weather star in a relegation dogfight.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Somerset official Steve Tanner has been a Premier League referee since last year. His only previous appointments with Stoke came in last season's win at Cardiff and draw at Plymouth.

PROBALBE TEAMS

Man City: Hart, Onuoha, Garrido, Dunne, Haim, Kompany, Hamman, Ireland, Robinho, Wright-Phillips, Jo.

Stoke: Sorensen, Griffin, Higginbotham, Ab Faye, Shawcross, Soares, Diao, Olofinjana, Delap, Kitson, Fuller.

PREDICTION

Robinho limps off early, Kitson breaks his duck, but Wright-Phillips levels for the Blues.