Rovers fell to the cliché as they suffered defeat at the wet and windy bet365 Stadium, after a resolute defensive performance from Stoke City, saw them hold onto a lead, which was given to them via their only shot on target of the game, which came in the 7th minute, courtesy of Nick Powell’s head.
Due to the busy Christmas fixture list, Rovers made a further two changes to the side that came out on top late on against Rotherham United, by a 2-1 scoreline. The injury list continued to pile up for Tony Mowbray as Daniel Ayala was withdrawn from the side due to a foot injury, with Tom Trybull being his replacement. The second change for the game saw John Buckley dropped to the bench and be replaced by Lewis Holtby. As a result of Ayala’s absence, the spot alongside Darragh Lenihan in the heart of defence, was filled by Bradley Johnson. There was a spot on the bench for Danny Butterworth who was included in the first-team squad for the first time since May 2019.
As 3pm approached, both sides prepared themselves for kick-off with Rovers winning the pre-match coin toss. The Blues came into the match knowing that a victory could see them overtake their hosts. As a result of that fact, Tony Mowbray’s side came into the game focussed on building their momentum, following their previous game’s heroics.
Stoke started the brighter of the two sides and that showed as they managed to take the lead after just seven minutes. Rovers were put under pressure by a succession of throw-ins, before Morgan Fox delivered in an inviting cross from the left, as Nick Powell connected with the cross via a diving header which saw Thomas Kaminski rooted to the spot, as Stoke City made it 1-0, via their first goal in three games, following successive goalless draws.
Rovers were finding it hard to retain possession of the ball inside the Stoke half, but they managed to craft an opening after 20 minutes. The ball found its way to Harvey Elliott who managed to find some space to try and wind up a shot, but the youngster slipped before being able to tee up Adam Armstrong. The Blues’ top scorer also tried his luck at goal, but the forward’s effort was deflected behind for a corner which Stoke cleared with ease.
Three minutes later, Rovers found their rhythm as both full-backs combined well to strike the left-hand post. Ryan Nyambe’s cross was missed by the Stoke defence as the ball curled into Barry Douglas’ path. The left-back crept into the penalty area before striking a low effort towards the far-post but Stoke and their ‘keeper Josef Bursik were saved by the post.
Rovers’ continued to build their momentum in the game after a slow start, and they again came close to equalising on the 26th minute. A throw-in into Sam Gallagher saw the forward hold the ball up, around 25-yards out before turning his man and trying his luck from the top of the box, but Gallagher’s effort ended up high and wide of the mark.
The booking’s first game was revealed to City’s captain James Chester on the 36th minute, after referee David Webb cautioned the defender for timewasting.
Just prior to the half-time whilst, Mr. Webb added on three extra minutes onto the end of the first-half, as Rovers continued on their quest for a first-half equaliser, despite dominating the possession for most of the first period.
Despite Stoke crafting a late chance which saw Josh Tymon earn a harmless corner, the first-half ended with the hosts ahead at 1-0.
Michael O’Neill would have been full of praise for his side at the break as they had managed to score a fine early goal, but also back up the finish with a solid defensive display, despite the few chances that Rovers managed to craft. The Northern Irishman also would have been rallying his troops for the second period, making it clear to them the threats that Rovers were capable of producing during the second-half, whilst also reminding his side of the Blues’ threats late on in games, with concentration being a paramount for the next 45 minutes.
Tony Mowbray in contrast, would have been fuming at the break given the ease with which Nick Powell had opened the scoring. A simple cross and header which his makeshift back four failed to deal will would have surely been the first point on his half-time agenda. Although his side had dominated 67% of the possession at the break, Rovers had failed to register a shot on target from the seven attempts they had created, which would have been a concern for the gaffer, especially given their early season prolificacy in-front of goal. Going into the second-half, Mowbray would have been telling his players to focus on moving the ball around quickly and with accuracy in order to try and tire out Stoke and hopefully create an opening that would allow them to get back into the game.
The second period was soon kicked-off by Stoke as they looked to try and hold onto their lead. By grabbing the three points from this encounter, the Potters knew that, not only would they put themselves in a healthier position in the table going into Christmas, but they’d also take valuable points off a fellow playoff rival, which could be crucial come the season’s business end.
The half’s first chance fell to Rovers, as Elliott played the ball down the line into Armstrong’s path. The forward managed to meet the through ball and try and dink the onrushing Bursik, but the ‘keeper displayed some fine goalkeeping by reading the situation well before managing to block the chip with a combination of his face and his hands, as Rovers were again thwarted.
A lacklustre second-half with very little goalmouth action for either side, forced Tony Mowbray into making a triple change on the 65th minute. Stewart Downing, Danny Butterworth and Tyrhys Dolan all came on, with Tom Trybull, Lewis Holtby and Sam Gallagher all being replaced.
Stoke City also replied with some changes of their own, as Tashan Oakley-Boothe and James McClean came on to switch places with Nick Powell and Jacob Brown.
Jordan Cousins tried his luck from around 30-35 yards out with a speculative effort, however the midfielder’s long-range effort didn’t trouble Thomas Kaminski, who saw it drag harmlessly wide.
On the 72nd minute, Ryan Nyambe burst down the right-hand side before cutting the ball back for Adam Armstrong, but the cross missed everybody in the area.
The 73rd minute saw Stoke make a further two changes as Sam Vokes and Jordan Thompson replaced Tom Ince and Steven Fletcher.
A fourth Rovers change occurred in the 77th minute as John Buckley was introduced into the fray, replacing Ryan Nyambe.
Rovers’ final change came on the 84th minute as Harry Chapman was thrown on in a last roll of the dice, replacing Joe Rothwell.
Adam Armstrong was again offered a chance to grab Rovers a late equaliser on the 88th minute, but fluffed his lines. Bradley Johnson managed to pick out Armstrong with a low ball, but the forward, despite taking a touch, couldn’t angle his shot on target as the club’s top scorer fired wide of Bursik’s goal.
As the 90th minute ticked onto the clock, referee David Webb called for four added minutes of time to be allocated on the end of the game, as Rovers continued to push for an equaliser that was seemingly never going to come.
It’s rather difficult to sum up this game without wanting to praise Stoke for their strong defensive performance, as they managed to quell the game into a rather ‘boring’ affair, to their credit. With that nicety out of the way, Rovers looked lacklustre and short of ideas from the first whistle, almost as if they were scared of the ‘Stoke City cliché’ before the kick-off had even got the game underway. Whilst some might say that ‘Rovers are dealing with a lot of injury issues’, the squad that travelled down to Stoke today had more than enough quality, as the season thus far has suggested, regardless of the absence of a few key players. One thing that the side were missing, however, was the presence of Daniel Ayala at the back, who would have certainly made a difference when defending the only goal of the game, with the defensive pairing of Bradley Johnson and Darragh Lenihan both being caught out by the late run into the box of the former Manchester United and Wigan Athletic midfielder, Nick Powell. Although fans might argue that they have become more used to seeing a defensively poor Rovers side in recent years, the lack of a goal is something we have not been used to, despite ending the game with 69% possession and 15 shots, with only three of them being on target. Whilst the festive fixture list was always going to be tough especially during these tough times, Tony Mowbray, his staff and his players certainly have their work cut out, as the gap towards the coveted playoff spots has now increased to five points.
Rovers’ third defeat in their last four sees them stay in 11th place, with 28 points, a positive goal-difference of +10 from the 20 league games played.
Next up for Rovers, is the 3pm Boxing Day game at home to Sheffield Wednesday, where Rovers will hope to get back on track against the league’s basement side. Following that clash, Tony Mowbray and his side travel across the Pennines to face Huddersfield Town on Tuesday 29th December at 7:45pm, in Rovers’ final game in 2020. The Blues’ 2021 sees them start on the road, as their second trip to St. Andrew’s of the season sees them face off against Aitor Karanka’s Birmingham City on Saturday 2nd January at 3pm.
