A very good Friday sees Potters push closer to safety

STOKE City have taken a giant step towards Championship safety with a well-deserved 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in front of a bumper home crowd.

- Peter Smith

Stoke put themselves in control when they belted down the left through Jordan Thompson and Bae Junho to work the ball across for Million Manhoef to tap in at the back post.

Thompson, who had made a superb cameo appearance, was stretchered off with his ankle in a brace before Stoke made it two in comical fashion.

Charles tried to quick kick downfield but only succeeded in smacking it into the back of Ben Wilmot and seeing the ball bounce behind him into the net, sparking perhaps the most chortle-filled celebration ever seen in this stadium

The crowd was 29,163, the highest attendance here since Stoke's final home match in the Premier League back in 2018, and Mark Robins had wanted to put on a show that would get fans wanting to return for more. He probably hadn't banked on offering comedy as part of entertainment.

The result is hugely significant. Stoke, winning back to back games for only the second time this season, are now seven points clear of the bottom three with three matches left to play.

Robins had made two changes to his starting XI, bringing back Ben Pearson and Sam Gallagher at the expense of Thompson and Ali Al-Hamadi.