Narcis Pelach sent revenge warning as Aaron Ramsdale dreams of emulating Stoke City feat.

Narcis Pelach sent revenge warning as Aaron Ramsdale dreams of emulating Stoke City feat.

 

As the new Stoke City managerial regime prepare for a weekend trip to Middlesbrough,

we open up our notebook on the Potters’ next six games,

the Mark Hughes who is back in work and the England goalkeeper keen to join an exclusive club

 

Narcis Pelach has been warned that revenge is in their air as he prepares for his second game as Stoke City boss.

 

The new head coach saw Hull City come from behind to win 3-1 at the bet365 Stadium on Friday night –

just a little over 48 hours after being appointed to replace the sacked Steven Schumacher.

 

The Spaniard has another tough game coming up when Stoke go to Middlesbrough on Saturday (3pm kick-off) –

and he has been told there could be more pain coming his way at the Riverside.

 

It was on Teesside that Stoke – and Schumacher – claimed arguably their best result of the season so far –

a 5-0 victory in the Carabao Cup. And a former Potter feels sure Boro boss Michael Carrick will have

revenge in mind when he comes face-to-face with Stoke again.

 

Pundit Lee Hendrie, a loan player at Stoke under Tony Pulis,

looked at Stoke’s next six games in Sky Sports’ post-match analysis of the defeat by Hull.

 

While pointing out “winnable games” against the likes of Portsmouth, Swansea and Norwich City –

Pelach’s former club – Hendrie was most concerned by the trip to Middlesbrough.

 

He said: “I think it’s a tough run of games. It’s the championship, isn’t it?

 

“The one that jumps straight off the page for me is the next fixture, away at Boro,

where they had that monstrous result under Stephen Schumacher.

What a great result that was when they won 5-0 in the cup.

 

“But then you look at Portsmouth, Swansea and Norwich – these games are winnable games and

teams that you feel that will be in the thick of that sort of process as the season goes on.

So massive, massive games coming up.

 

“But that next fixture, I think, is one that really stands out for me,

because I’m sure that Michael Carrick will want to get one back over them.”

Stoke City’s next six Championship fixtures

Sept 28 – Middlesbrough away; Oct 2 – Portsmouth home; Oct 5 – Swansea away;

Oct 19 – Norwich home; Oct 22 – Bristol City home; Oct 26 – Sheffield United away.

Order of the boot for coach

Mark Hughes – no, not that one – has opted to put his boots back on after falling victim to the cull

that saw for Steven Schumacher and most of his coaching team at the bet365 Stadium last week.

 

Hughes, an Everton academy graduate like Schumacher, played for Northampton, Walsall,

Bury and Accrington Stanley amongst other clubs before moving into coaching.

 

He worked under Schumacher at Plymouth Argyle before joining him at Stoke last December,

but has now joined non-league Clitheroe as a player.

 

According to the club’s official account on X, the 37-year-old centre-back has joined them on non-contract terms,

subject to league approval. Clitheroe play in Northern Premier League Division One West.

 

Ramsdale reveals goal

Aaron Ramsdale might never have played for Stoke City, but the 26-year-old from Chesterton is

keen to emulate one of the Potters Premier League heroes.

 

Ramsdale, a former Thomas Boughey Academy student, is already part of Stoke-on-Trent footballing royalty

after becoming the fourth player from the city to represent England at a World Cup, in 2022.

The others were Stanley Matthews, Bill McGarry and Dennis Wilshaw, who were in England’s squad for the 1954 World Cup.

 

However, he is also keen to do something only Asmir Begovic and five other top-flight goalkeepers have so

far managed – to score a goal.

 

Ramsdale, who spent three seasons at Arsenal before a summer switch to Southampton, told talkSPORT:

“I can’t even say I’ve come close. I’ve been up for a few corners and close to a header –

and been nowhere near it when I’ve watched the replay.

 

“But you dream about it, it’s all you dream about as a kid, even now I still dream about it.

So hopefully I can get one before I retire. It’d be nice to pop up with one this season, wouldn’t it?”

 

Should Ramsdale eventually find the back of the net he will join an exclusive club featuring former

Stoke City stopper Begovic – he scored after 13 seconds of Stoke home clash with Southampton in

November 2013 – Peter Schmeichel, Brad Friedel, Paul Robinson, Tim Howard and Alisson Becker.

 

Back in 2014, Ramsdale was tipped as a name to remember in the Sentinel when he helped Thomas Boughey reach the semi-finals of the English Schools FA Cup. But rather than play for the Potters, Ramsdale forged his junior club career at Bolton Wanderers after starting out playing for Marsh Town at Red Street Community Centre.

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