ROBINS IS LEFT DELIGHTED BY CITY PROGRESS

Potters boss eager to kick on in second half of campaign as he celebrates club anniversary

- Peter Smith

MARK Robins is taking heart in the strides Stoke City have made over his first year in charge as he looks to add 'the final bits' in the second half of the season.

Stoke City sit eighth in an incredibly tight Championship table with one game to play until the halfway stage.

They are four points off third and four points ahead of 14th in a campaign when even the bookies are struggling to predict who will make the top six.

There are still as many 17 clubs, including Stoke, with short odds on finishing in the playoffs or better.

Now they have a home double header to try to bounce back from a frustrating 1-0 defeat at Watford, taking on fifth-placed Preston North End on Boxing Day (3pm) before hosting a resurgent Sheffield United next Monday (7.45pm).