Robins faces striker shortage for Cardiff Cup game
Robins faces striker shortage for Cardiff Cup game
Stoke City boss Mark Robins faces a real frontline crisis for Saturday’s
FA Cup fourth-round date with Cardiff City.
Robins, who won the Cup as a player with Manchester United in 1990,
enjoyed a memorable run to Wembley last season when his Coventry City side were cruelly beaten on
penalties in the semi-final by his old club.
And, having enjoyed his first league win as Stoke boss last Saturday at Hull,
the Potters boss ought to be fancying his side’s chances of another Cup scalp at home to a struggling
Cardiff City side who shipped seven goals at Leeds the same day.
But new Ipswich Town loan signing Ali Al-Hamadi, who scored on his debut last week,
is cup-tied – and so is joint EFL top scorer Nathan Lowe.
Al-Hamadi came on as a late substitute for Ipswich when they were already 3-0 up in their third-round win over Bristol Rovers, while the now recalled Lowe played in Walsall’s first-round win over Bolton and the Saddlers’ second-round home defeat by Charlton.
With nine-goal top scorer Tom Cannon now sold to Sheffield United by Leicester City after being recalled from his loan at Stoke, both Million Manhoef and Sam Gallagher out injured, and Niall Ennis sent out on loan to Steve Bruce’s Blackpool, Stoke did make one up-front signing this week.
West Bromwich Albion’s teenage forward Adriel Walker signed an 18-month contract. But the 19-year-old was signed for the Potters’ Under- 21s and may not be considered yet ready for first-team duty.
Stoke also now have Ryan Mmaee back at the club following the end of his loan at Rapid Vienna. But he was kept sidelined in Austria by injuries – and is not expected to figure until next month due to a hamstring problem.
Robins does have the options of teenager Emre Tezgel, who came off the bench in the third-round win over Sunderland, on-loan Lewis Koumas, who has not netted since early December, and Andre Vidigal, who made such a dramatic start to life in Stoke with five goals in his first six appearances last season, but he has not started a league game this term.
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