Mark Robins’ Ben Pearson gamble as Stoke City wingers face dressing down
Pete Smith debates the big talking points from a dramatic day at Coventry City as Stoke are left kicking themselves after fightback is in vain
Mark Robins was kicking himself that Stoke City didn’t comeback to seal all three points against Coventry and almost furious that they left with none.
Bobby Thomas scored a last-gasp winner to give Coventry a thrilling 3-2 victory at the CBS Arena. Victor Torp had scored a first-half brace to put the Sky Blues ahead, but Stoke substitute Sam Gallagher then netted two of his own to haul Stoke level.
However, with a draw on the cards, Thomas sent the Sky Blue army into raptures in the seventh minute of added time when he thumped home to earn his side a ninth win in 10 league outings.
Here are the talking points from the CBS Arena, starting with a gamble that the manager had to take on a key midfielder.
Ben Pearson had got through his first full game in 16 months the previous weekend and was showing in the opening stages at Coventry why he can be a key figure in this final two months of the season. He kept appearing in the right areas to get on the ball and launch Stoke attacks.
And then he went down, just after the quarter-hour mark, and had to make way for his hamstring to be assessed again. It was a blow that coincided with Stoke losing their momentum and they ended up being 2-0 behind by half-time.
Robins said: “It’s difficult with Ben. I haven’t had a straight answer really, it’s a case that I have to make the decision for him. He’s said that he was a little bit tight but he’s not done a great deal in training this week. I thought he started the game well, I thought he started really brightly, but as the game went on he’s got some neural problem which is making it feel tight. I think that’s what it is, I don’t know whether he’s done his hamstring again. I don’t think so but I don’t know. That’s a problem he’s had this week leading into the game but he’s getting work from the physios and the physios are giving us a steer on where he’s at physically.
“When you speak to Ben he’s reluctant to give you anything positive or anything negative so I have to make the decision!”
But if Robins is weighing up how much he can push an important player like Pearson, he has to do the same with Million Manhoef and Sam Gallagher, who both came on at half-time. It’s the same for Enda Stevens too as well as Wouter Burger, who was coming back from a knee injury, and Ali Al-Hamadi is trying to play through a problem.
