Stoke City

Griffin to have talks with Stoke
Stoke City have been granted permission to speak to Derby County defender Andy Griffin about a move to the Potteries. The 28-year-old full-back impressed last season on loan at the Britannia Stadium from Portsmouth before joining the Rams from Pompey in the summer. The former Newcastle man has played 13 times for the Rams this season. Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes told the club website: "He is a player Tony Pulis has been keen on for some time. He performed exceptionally for us."

Stoke relishing Newcastle replay
Stoke manager Tony Pulis insists his players will relish going to St James' Park for their FA Cup second-round replay against Newcastle. "We were a little tepid in the first half and gave them too much respect," he said after Sunday's 0-0 draw. "We were better in the second half and created a lot of chances. I couldn't believe Jon Parkin's chance didn't go in, you would expect him to score. "It will be a difficult replay but the players will really relish it." Stoke substitute Jon Parkin missed a glorious chance to open the scoring after being put through by Ricardo Fuller. Steven Taylor blocked the striker's effort on the goal-line as Newcastle held on for a draw. Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce, however, felt his side deserved to win, despite being put under pressure for much of the second half. He said: The rain made life awkward, but we controlled the game well and just couldn't find the goal. "I'm disappointed over the 90 minutes not to have won but it's a very good draw and we will try to finish the job at St James' Park. "We dealt with their size and strength very well and but for 15 minutes they didn't cause us too many problems. "Overall it was a satisfying performance. We should have broken them down better than we did, but still had many chances to win it."

Griffin ties up Potters transfer
Stoke have signed Derby County defender Andy Griffin for £300,000. The 28-year-old played 34 games on loan for the Potters last season before choosing to join Derby in the summer. Director of football John Rudge told SSB: "We're delighted he's here and I'm sure the supporters will be. He's a great addition to our squad. "I think that deep down he always wanted to be here. The lure of going to the Premiership was a big factor for him but that's all in the past now." The former Newcastle United and Portsmouth player has signed a four-and-a-half year contract.

Stoke break record to land Cort
Stoke City have broken the club's transfer record by completing the £1.2m signing of Leon Cort from Championship side Crystal Palace. The 28-year-old, who has been on loan with the Potters since November, has signed a three-and-a-half year deal. City will also pay an additional £200,000 if the club are promoted to the Premier League. Cort told SSB: "I'm delighted to come to Stoke because I know the club is going places." Cort has made 15 appearances for the Potters, scoring four goals, since joining on loan from Palace in November. He began his professional career with Southend United in 2001 before joining Hull City on a free transfer in 2004. Cort made 91 appearances for Hull, scoring 10 goals in the process, and in 2006 he made a £1.25m move to Crystal Palace. He played 50 times for the Eagles, scoring seven goals, and was also named the club's player of the year for last season. His older brother, striker Carl, was released by Leicester on Friday.

Pele will unveil statue of Banks
Brazilian legend Pele will unveil a statue of Stoke City and England goalkeeper Gordon Banks in the city this summer, it has been revealed. The pair met in the 1970 World Cup when Banks made what is widely regarded as one of the greatest saves ever from a Pele header. Now it has emerged the Brazilian will visit the city on 12 July to unveil the statue outside the Britannia Stadium. World Cup winner Banks said he was "very, very honoured" by the tribute. Banks, who played for Stoke City from 1967 to 1972, said: "I can't believe that it's actually happened to me. "The nice part about this is that it will be a testament to all goalkeepers and goalkeepers that never got the recognition." He added it was "marvellous" Pele was unveiling the statue as he remained the "best player I have ever seen". Pele previously visited Stoke-on-Trent in 1969 when his side Santos played a friendly against Stoke City, winning 3-2, the Brazilian legend scoring twice past Banks. The statue of the goalkeeper, who also played for Leicester City and Chesterfield during his career, is the brainchild of Irish author Don Mullen who has written a book about the star called The Hero Who Could Fly. He is looking to raise £350,000 to pay for the statue which will be made by local artist Andrew Edwards.

Shawcross ties up £1m Stoke move
Ryan Shawcross has completed his £1million move to Stoke City from Manchester United. Stoke have signed the 20-year-old Chester-born defender on a three-and-half year deal. Shawcross told SSB: "I turned down a contract at United to come to Stoke and that shows how much I want to play here." The fee is an initial £1million, which could double depending on appearances and Stoke City's success.

Potters to make Walcott enquiry
Stoke City chairman Peter Coates says the club will make an attempt to bring Arsenal striker Theo Walcott to the Britannia Stadium on loan. The 18-year-old has been linked with a temporary move away from the Gunners and Stoke would be keen to take him. "We will enquire but I guess he'll want to stay in the Premier League," the Potters chairman Peter Coates told SSB. Stoke's next match is away to Charlton on Tuesday night.

Crowd can push us up says Pulis
Manager Tony Pulis says big crowds for the last six home games of the season could make the difference in Stoke City's push for promotion. Pulis told SSB: "If we can get over 20,000 at the Britt it will give us a real chance of going up." "If we attract those crowds and we don't go up at least we will be able to look back and say that we gave it our best shot." Stoke have not lost at home in the league since November. Pulis has also rubbished Charlton manager Alan Pardew's comments that the state of pitches during the winter is a contributing factor to Stoke being top of the Championship. Pardew said that sides such as Stoke and Watford thrive when pitches are poor and that when the warmer weather comes sides like Charlton will be have the advantage. Pulis however doesn't agree: "Our pitch is fantastic. It certainly didn't look bad when Ricardo (Fuller) took it past four men and laid it on for Liam Lawrence to score aganist Scunthorpe."

Pericard set to join Southampton
Southampton are set to sign Vincent Pericard from Stoke City on loan until the end of the season. The forward, who has been loaned to Sheffield United and Plymouth Argyle, joined the Potters in 2006, becoming Tony Pulis' first signing. But Pericard has just made five appearances this season - his last coming against Preston on 19 January. The 25-year-old signed for Premier League side Portsmouth from Italian giants Juventus.

Stoke call off chase for Nugent
Stoke City have been frustrated in their efforts to sign Portsmouth striker David Nugent and look set to abandon their bid to sign him on loan. Manager Tony Pulis had declared his interest in the England international, but now appears to have missed out on a deal for the 22-year-old. Pulis told SSB: "We've tried all week to get him but I think Pompey want to keep him now." Ipswich Town have also made enquiries to sign Nugent on loan this season. Nugent is expected to stay at Fratton Park until the end of the season and fight for his place with the Premier League side. The Potters have made three new signings in March, with Chris Riggott, Carlo Nash and Jay Bothroyd all arriving at the Britannia Stadium on loan. Pulis was happy with Wolves striker Bothroyd's debut in the 0-0 draw at Watford on Saturday, a result that took Stoke to the top of the Championship. "He showed some good touches, especially in the first half," said Pulis. "In the second half he went out of the game a little bit."

Bothroyd set on going up at Stoke
New Stoke City signing Jay Bothroyd has arrived at the Britannia Stadium with the sole aim of getting the club promoted to the Premier League. Bothroyd, on a month's loan from Wolves, is set for his home debut against Blackpool on Saturday. And the 25-year-old striker told SSB: "I want to help Stoke get to the Premier League. "When a team like Stoke, who are doing better than Wolves, want you to play for them, it's a no-brainer. Bothroyd has struggled to make an impact at Molineux this season, scoring just four goals and finding himself on the sidelines, so was delighted to answer the call from the Potters. "I wasn't playing at Wolves," he added. "And obviously all footballers want to play football. "Stoke are doing really well and I was keen to work with Tony Pulis because I've heard good things about him. "There's a lot of expectancy because of where we are in the league. Now we have to achieve what we think we can."

Pulis hoping to bring in new face
Stoke boss Tony Pulis says he may bring in a new face to ease the strain on his squad after Saturday's draw with Blackpool, reports SSB. Pulis was fuming after two players were injured in the match, claiming the referee's late arrival was to blame. "Last week we thought we had done a deal but it fell through so we'll see what we can do," he said. "We never get muscular injuries and we have copped it because the referee cannot turn up on time." Saturday's game with Blackpool was delayed by 30 minutes while referee Mike Pike attempted to get to the ground and Pulis feels that due to the cold weather this led to the injuries that Leon Cort and Salif Diao sustained. "We work very hard on the fitness levels of this team," he said. "But in one game Salif goes off with a hamstring injury after six minutes and Leon later goes off with a calf injury. "It is nothing to do with Stoke City that the referee turned up late but we'll just count the players we have left and put a team on the field and get on with it." Stoke travel to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Fuller in line for Potters recall
Stoke City's first-team coach Mark O'Connor has said the return of Ricardo Fuller to the squad is a massive boost. The Jamaica international has been absent from the Potters side while serving a two-match suspension. The 28-year-old, who is Stoke's top scorer this season with 14 goals, will be back for Monday's match with Crystal Palace at the Britannia Stadium. O'Connor told SSB: "Having Ric back is a big plus and it's looking as positive as it could be." Fuller, who signed from Southampton in 2006, has not scored for City since the 4-2 win at Wolves in February. Highly-rated centre-half Ryan Shawcross will also be available for Monday's match after a two-match ban. O'Connor said the return of the pair is great news and gives manager Tony Pulis more options to choose from. "We'll have a little bit more time to work with the team. With all the suspensions that have been served now we're hoping to have a fully fit squad to pick from. "The manager has got a really difficult choice, but it's a choice you'd rather have."

Griffin set to be out for season
Stoke City captain Andy Griffin looks set to be out for the rest of the season after a scan confirmed he has suffered a torn hamstring. The initial diagnosis suggests that the full back will be out for three to four weeks and will miss the Potters' end of season push for promotion. Griffin pulled up sharply and had to be substituted in the 2-1 win over Coventry at the Ricoh Arena. It looks likely that he will now miss City's final three games of the season.

Fate in our own hands - Cresswell
Stoke City striker Richard Cresswell is pleased that the Potters are in control of their own destiny again as they attempt to reach the Premier League. Four points in the last two games will now guarantee promotion for Stoke to end their 23-year top flight exile. Following the 2-1 win over Bristol City, Cresswell told SSB: "We've put it in our own hands now. "We knew what a big game it was and to come out with three points is a massive boost for everyone involved." Promotion to the Premier League would be a sweet moment for Cresswell, part of the Leeds United squad relegated to League One this time a year ago. Stoke manager Tony Pulis spent £500,000 to sign the 30-year-old at the start of the campaign. And the much-travelled striker has repaid him by scoring 11 times in 44 appearances, going past a century of career goals in the process. "I knew they had a fantastic squad because they did well last year," said Cresswell. "And I knew it would give me a good chance to get into the Premier League. "The manager was a major factor in me coming here and I've played virtually every game this season, which is a bonus considering the amount of injuries I had while I was at Leeds. "I'm enjoying it, but I'll enjoy it more if we get into that top two." Stoke's remaining fixtures are against two of the bottom five teams in the Championship, starting with the match away at already-relegated Colchester on Saturday. The fact that it will be Colchester's last-ever game at Layer Road may not make Stoke's task any easier. And they then face a home game on the final day against a Leicester City side who may still be needing points to survive the drop. But Stoke will simply concentrate on winning Saturday's game. "We've got to prepare exactly the same as we have against Bristol City," said Cresswell. "I think if we do that and go into the game with the same attitude, then we'll get the right result."

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