Time to get ESPN?

The new boy on the block – ESPN – has been ignoring the Potters since they bought Setanta’s TV rights during the summer, but they’ve now announced that they’ll be showing two live Stoke matches during February.

Stoke’s away matches last season were studiously avoided by all the TV companies. Sky Sports have just dipped their toe in the water by televising their first live away match of ours this season, unfortunately it was the one where those fans who fancied a Sunday lie-in rather than a long trip to Hull would have ended up watching it from behind the sofa as we managed to turn a one goal lead into a last minute defeat whilst only having ten players on the pitch.

So for those fans wanting to avoid two more long treks, ESPN have now said that they’ll be showing both the Sunderland match at the Stadium of Light on Monday 1st February (kick-off: 8pm) and the Portsmouth match down at Fratton Park on Saturday 20th February and that kick-off has been duly moved to 5.30pm.

For the record, Sky Sports are showing two more home games over the next couple of months. The Potters’ next home game against Wigan on Saturday 12th December will be kicking off at 12.45pm and the Liverpool match at the Brit on Saturday 16th January will also be at the same midday slot.