Kenwyne Jones fires Stoke to victory over Thun in Europa League
By Tim Rich (The Guardian)There are a few clubs that produce films about themselves but none is quite as effective as the half-time montage shown on the screens of the Britannia Stadium. It begins with George Eastham lifting the League Cup in 1972 and spirals downwards until 1990 when Stoke become part of the Third Division before being dragged back up again.
It reminds the club what it is capable of and where it has come from and it is a reason why Tony Pulis, the manager under whom Stoke have taken their most decisive strides, was able to describe this as a "European adventure" without there being any tittering at the back.
After their 1-0 win on a plastic pitch in the first leg in Switzerland, there was never any real doubt Stoke would qualify for the group stages – though this was an emphatic display – and when the draw is made they will be a team to avoid.
There was a buzz about this game which might come as a surprise to those who consider the Europa League to be the Carling Cup with passports. Until very recently European football and Stoke City seemed the stuff of PlayStation and virtually every home seat in the Britannia Stadium had been sold.
It was, however, much less of an event than in the Bernese Oberland. Precisely 46 supporters had travelled from the lakeside town that lies in the shadow of the Jungfrau and the Eiger to the altogether gentler scenery of Staffordshire.
Thun may be leading the Swiss Super League but realistically the 46 would have known their night was done the moment Matthew Upson rose to thunder home Jermaine Pennant's corner. It was Upson's first goal since another header provided a brief fig leaf during England's debacle against Germany in Bloemfontein.
This at least led to something. When Stoke qualified for the Europa League many wondered how Europe would cope with Rory Delap's long throws and all that obvious physicality. The real question is how they will cope with the kind of superb wing-play Pennant is so often capable of?
It was on display when Pennant delivered another cross half a dozen minutes later and Kenwyne Jones stooped between two defenders to head home Stoke's second.
That pretty much wrapped up qualification but, just to make sure, when the Swiss defence failed to properly clear one of Pennant's corners, Glenn Whelan came charging in, took deliberate aim and saw the ball dip before it flew in beneath the crossbar.
Even when Pennant was removed the crosses kept coming and when Tom Soares, driving down the right, sent over a deep ball on the run, it was met with one of Jones's unanswerable headers.
Just to show it was not a complete walkover, Andreas Wittwer then scored a surprisingly good goal, given the state of play, allowing the 46 to reach for their scarves and launch into another chorus of Yellow Submarine.
