Robins shoot down Potters

Stoke failed to derail Bristol City's winning start to the season and lost to a solitary 25 yard blaster from Marvin Elliott.

The Potters should still be pleased with a solid performance but lacked the creativity against a side that is brimming with confidence in their first season since being promoted, having only suffered one defeat so far. Stoke fielded freed jailbird, Vincent Pericard, who was released from Strangeways prison in Manchester in time to turn out in place of the suspended Richard Cresswell.

Ricardo Fuller was the star performer and should have found the back of the net after just 15 minutes with a shot that beat the keeper but just squeezed wide of the post, But after a first half hour in which Stoke had dominated, Steve Simonsen stood no chance with Elliott's blaster with his left foot that flew into the top right hand corner of the net.

Simonsen was called into play on several occasions with Bristol resorted to further long range shots on the Stoke goal. He nearly gifted them a second after being caught outside his area and then fumbling the ball within feet of an advancing Robin. But whilst the Potters continued to press on until the end (with Jon Parkin replacing Fuller on 60 minutes) they couldn't find a way past the Robins' defence.

After the match, Pulis told the media that he'd relished his first trip back to Ashton Gate since managing them in 1999. It can safely be said that the former Bristol Rovers' player, who spent ten years in the blue half of the city, never endeared himself to the red half, but Pulis, as Stoke fans will know, has a thick skin: 'It was nice to bring a team back to Ashton Gate wearing blue. That's no disrespect to Bristol City. I was brought up a Rovers player and it was always going to be difficult transferring allegiance when I became City manager.'

Bristol City: Basso, Orr, Carey, Fontaine, McAllister, Sproule (Skuse 90), Johnson, Elliott, McIndoe, Noble (Byfield 14), Trundle (McCombe 90)
Subs not used: Henderson, Murray

Stoke City: Simonsen, Wilkinson (Wright 83), Zakuani, Shawcross, Dickinson, Delap, Eustace, Matteo, Lawrence (Sweeney 80), Fuller, Pericard (Parkin 59)
Subs not used: Hoult, Hill

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