An uninspired Town fell to their second consecutive away defeat as Stoke ran out 2-0 winners at the Britannia Stadium. A defensive mix-up eventually led to Peter Hoekstra scoring a first half penalty, while in the second an offside looking Ade Akinbiyi put the home side further in front.

Town lined-up as against Preston on Saturday with the exception of Shefki Kuqi replacing Pablo Couñago up front.

Darren Bent made the first notable contribution of the game in just the first minute. The young striker broke away behind the Stoke defence but shot across goal from a tight angle.

Penalty area action was rare in the early stages with the Blues enjoying most of the possession but failing to create anything.

The Town defence almost gave the Potters a goal in the 13th minute, Georges Santos over-hitting a back-pass and Kelvin Davis playing the ball straight to Sebastian Svard on the Stoke right as he tried to stop the ball from going out for a corner.

Svard crossed into the box but Santos rose above Ade Akinbiyi to head the ball out for a corner with Davis chasing back to his posts.

Shefki Kuqi made a powerful run into the Stoke half on 14 before playing the ball to Tommy Miller. The midfielder fed Ian Westlake but the youngster's effort was blocked on the edge of the box.

Westlake came closer soon after. Kuqi had flicked the ball down the right to Darren Bent who played the ball across the penalty area to Westlake, but his shot was kept out by Ed De Goey's toe.

Darren Bent crossed from the left again a minute or so later, but Shefki Kuqi couldn't get a touch on the ball. Not long after the Finn hit a shot from the right of the penalty box which deflected wide off a defender, with Darren Bent unmarked and unhappy in the centre.

On the half hour, Bent got his head to a corner, the Stoke defence failing to deal with it adequately. However, De Goey recovered to grab Kuqi's ball back into the box.

Town were looking reasonably comfortable against the physical attacking duo of Akinbiyi and Gifton Noel-Williams, but on 37, as so often this season, the Blues' backline shot themselves in their collective foot.

Georges Santos found himself with the ball inside the area facing his own goal. The Frenchman seemed to be expecting Kelvin Davis to come out and claim the ball from him, but the keeper was still on his line.

The central defender dallied before playing a weak back-pass towards Davis. Akinbiyi nipped in ahead of Davis, who saved at his feet but sent the ball to Svard who was tripped by Santos as he sought to find space for a shot into the empty goal.

It was as bad a mix-up as we've seen this season, although Santos may point to a very cut-up pitch as a factor in his poor ball to Davis.

Peter Hoekstra was the man charged with the spot-kick, his shot going to Davis's right as the Town stopper dived leftwards.

There was little penalty box action in the remainder of the half, but the goal appeared to bring Stoke more into the game. Town had had a significant amount of possession without creating too much and had again given away a silly goal at the other end.

At the break Joe Royle decided that Saturday's hero Richard Naylor was worthy of another run-out up front. Shefki Kuqi made way, the Town frontline, as in the first half against Preston, having made little impact on the opposition defence.

There was an injury worry for the Blues in the 55th minute when Georges Santos picked up a cut to the head. The Frenchman underwent treatment off the pitch and, as he prepared to return to the field, Joe Royle indicated to the referee that he felt his player had been on the end of an elbow.

Just after the hour John McGreal made way for Drissa Diallo, the ex-Tranmere man appearing to have a back problem.

Soon after, Tommy Miller headed weakly past De Goey's right post after Jim Magilton had flicked on an Ian Westlake corner.

In the 68th minute Stoke went further ahead in controversial circumstances. Gifton Noel-Williams flicked on a long ball which Ade Akinbiyi, looking well offside, chased. Despite Town appeals, no flag was raised and the former Leicester striker took the ball on, rounded Davis and netted.

Immediately Town threw on Pablo Couñago for skipper Jim Magilton, Darren Bent moving to a wide right role.

Drissa Diallo headed an Ian Westlake corner to Ed De Goey in the 74th minute, but Town were rarely seriously threatening the Dutch keeper, although Westlake forced him into a save on 78.

Midfielder Jermaine Wright shot straight at the keeper from 25 yards before Pablo Couñago failed get a shot in after Richard Naylor had flicked on a Darren Bent cross at the near post. Soon after Westlake shot over from inside the area on the left from a Wilnis cross.

With four minutes remaining Westlake picked up a yellow card for a foul on Noel-Williams.

As time ran out Richard Naylor flicked a header wide and the Couñago shot across the face of goal from a tight angle. In injury time Akinbiyi went close but he mis-hit his shot wide.

Town went as near to a goal as they had all evening in the final moments of the game, Tommy Miller's 20-yard shot excellently tipped round the post by De Goey and Westlake's 30 yarder flying an inch or so wide of the Stoke goal.

An insipid display by the Blues, not too dissimilar to the recent loss at Burnley. Town had a lot of the ball but created little of note in front of goal and often needlessly gave the ball away in midfield. A difficult surface didn't help but was not solely to blame for the disappointing display.

Yet another poor mistake at the back led to the first goal while the second appeared to be an error by the linesman.

As they have for a while, the Blues lacked an attacking spark while the suicidal tendencies at the back continue to gift goals. Town will have to put on a better display than this if they are to gain anything from Sunday's game at Carrow Road.

Town: Davis, Wilnis, Richards, Santos, McGreal (Diallo 61), Magilton (Couñago 71), Miller, Wright, Westlake, Kuqi (Naylor 46), Bent.

Photo: Action Images

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