POTTERS ARE FAST STARTERS TO POCKET AWAY POINTS

STOKE City made it two Championship wins out of two as they kept their heads amid Hillsborough protests to beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0.

- Peter Smith

Million Manhoef opened the scoring in the opening minute when he ducked in from the right wing and Divin Mubama put the Potters in command when he headed home a Sorba Thomas cross in the opening minute of the second half.

The three points were secured - and Stoke's first back-to-back opening wins to start a season since they started a promotion campaign in 2007 - when Manhoef ran in to scramble in his second from another excellent Thomas cross.

Stoke still needed a cameo from Viktor Johansson, who made three outstanding saves around the hour mark that might have otherwise led to a more dramatic finale.

Instead, the closing stages were played out in an increasingly empty stadium barring the 2,361 supporters in the away end who were singing about being in Mark Robins' barmy army and sitting on top of the league. Only 44 games to go.

Robins had made one change to the starting XI from the opening day win over Derby County.

In came Tatsuki Seko in place of Ben Pearson, who had limped out the previous weekend but is not expected to stay on the sidelines for long.