Kitson: Stoke’s new goal machine

Dave Kitson has now scored two goals as Stoke continue on the hunt for their first pre-season win.

Whilst half the squad were at Newport County being given another lesson in winning by a non-league club (they went down 2-0), the majority of the Potters’ likely starting eleven made the trip down the A50 to Nottingham Forest.

Ricardo Fuller was left on the bench after his late return from international duty in Jamaica and it was left to James Beattie and Dave Kitson to lead from the front as they had done in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Preston.

Kitson has said that he feels revitalised this season after last season’s turmoil both on and off the pitch seem to have been left behind and he claimed a second half equaliser at the City Ground to add to the goal he scored against St. Pauli whilst at their recent Austrian training camp.

The match ended all square on 1-1. Next up are Derby County at Pride Park on Saturday – kick-off is at 1pm.

Note for conspiracy theorists: Griffin plays until he is replaced by Wilko just as Fuller comes on for Beattie with 34 minutes remaining – never shall the two meet again on a football pitch?

Stoke City: Sorensen, Griffin (Wilkinson 56), Shotton, Cort, Higginbotham, Lawrence, Whelan, Whitehead (Delap 71), Etherington, Beattie (Fuller, 56), Kitson.