CRESSWELL EYES MEAN MACHINE

Experienced defender Aaron wants Potters to keep it clean in their Championship campaign

- Peter Smith

AARON Cresswell wants Stoke City to assert their status as the Championship's meanest defence over the full season as they prepare for a stern test at Ipswich (7.45pm).

Stoke had only conceded more than one in a match on one occasion in the first 15 games of the season - but they have since done it three times in the last four, including a 4-0 reverse at Sheffield United on Saturday.

They still make the long midweek trip to Portman Road with the best record in the division and Cresswell, who is likely to return to the starting lineup, wants to make sure that lasts.

He said: “We're 19 games into the season and it’s not really a fluke to have that record at this stage.

“The work we put in with coaches, with set-pieces, all the little details can define a game. We put all our effort into that.