Stoke & Staffordshire

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  1. Goal was 'massive' for Gallagherpublished at 13:30 GMT

    Media caption,

    Stoke City striker on his injury and returning to the squad

    Stoke City striker Sam Gallagher says his goal during their 3-1 win over Watford helped him feel "inclusion in the team" again after spending months on the sidelines.

    The 30-year-old has struggled with injuries this season, missing 11 league games with a hamstring problem before making his return against the Hornets.

    He also missed the first 16 games of the Championship campaign.

    "That's one of the biggest things when you are injured," Gallagher told BBC Radio Stoke.

    "When you are in the gym, you're looking through the glass at the boys outside working hard and you're thinking: 'I'm not helping the team'.

    "So to score the goal and contribute like that was massive for me."

    Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

    Listen to more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds

  2. 'A chastening night' for Stoke Citypublished at 11:37 GMT 21 March

    Mark Elliott
    BBC Radio Stoke’s Stoke City commentator

    Sorba ThomasImage source, Shutterstock

    This was a game that looked there for the taking, particularly after Sorba Thomas opened the scoring with a brilliantly taken 10th goal of the season.

    Then it all fell apart. Preston were sharper, stronger and more aggressive despite their lack of quality, something that made this 3-1 defeat even more frustrating.

    Preston had won one in 13 before this but Stoke allowed them back into the game quickly despite the pressure building from the crowd.

    After the game, manager Mark Robins called his team's character into question and said they'd let Stoke's 3,000 vocal travelling fans down and it was hard to disagree with his sentiments.

    He wasn't frustrated, he said he was "angry".

    On a poor pitch, Preston outmuscled the Potters and capitalised on errors, scoring their equaliser, for example, on a breakaway from a Stoke throw in on the edge of the home side's box.

    Stoke will finish somewhere in the mid-table pack and attention will turn to next season sooner rather than later.

    Some of the players involved at Deepdale may need to rebuild some trust with their manager and the fans if they're to stick around in the medium to long term.

    This was a chastening night in Lancashire.

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