Potters played their part in memorable day for Palace

IT’S the close season, but there’s still plenty of Stoke City news. PETER SMITH looks at the latest talking points...

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Steve Parish had a pair of Stoke City cufflinks with him as Crystal Palace won the FA Cup on Saturday.

The Palace owner was in the posh seats at Wembley Stadium with his unlikely lucky omens as Eberechi Eze scored the goal that beat Manchester City and secured the club a first major trophy in their history.

He has had them for coming up to a decade, having nipped into the bet365 Stadium club shop in a panic in December 2015 before Palace beat the Potters 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Lee Chung-yong. Such has been their effect that he even bought a different pair to keep on stand-by in case the originals go missing.

“I did everything differently from what I normally do,” he told the News Shopper after the cup final. “I wore the team suit that I’ve never worn, a pair of shoes I have never worn, and I got a car here instead of driving my car. I was like, none of it matters. I was just determined to put on the suit they gave me, do whatever they told me to do, lean into it all, get in a car, drive there and win. That's what I thought.

“The only thing I did was find the original cufflinks I bought in the Stoke club shop when Chungy scored the winner.

“I forgot my cufflinks and it was really annoying me, so I went to the club shop and bought a pair of Stoke City cufflinks — they've been my lucky charm ever since.