Abby Brammell

By COLIN YOUNG

Heads and fails: Newcastle defender Perch dives to connect with Etherington's corner and heads powerfully into his own net


Stoke manager Tony Pulis launched an impassioned defence of his players last night after their second-half comeback win at Newcastle, calling for retrospective action against players who dive.

After a week when Fulham manager Mark Hughes condemned Stoke’s Andrew Wilkinson for a late challenge on Mousa Dembele, Pulis accused a Newcastle player of feigning injury in an attempt to get an opponent booked.

Pulis seemed to be referring to an incident involving Joey Barton, but he refused to name the culprit

‘With the bad publicity we’ve had this week, I was really disappointed with the way one of the Newcastle players went down and simulated an injury from a challenge,’ said Pulis.

‘Three passes later he was running around as if nothing happened. ‘The PFA have a responsibility to make sure their players don’t do that. We’ve been highlighted for being over physical, but there are other aspects of the game that need to be addressed.

'We need to have more honesty. Crowds like to see competitive players but we are almost taking that away and we should not do that. What we should do is isolate people trying to con referees, because they are also trying to con members of their own union.

‘There should be retrospective yellow cards for it. If people fall over and they are not touched, that is cheating.’

If this was Pulis’ mood after Stoke’s first away win of the season, imagine what he would have been like without the second-half revival that stunned Newcastle.


Captain marvel: Magpies skipper Kevin Nolan fires home from the penalty spot


Stoke managed just one effort on target — a header from striker Kenwyne Jones after he had twice hit the woodwork — but a spectacular own goal from James Perch, for whom the phrase hapless may have been invented, sealed the victory, their first at St James’ Park since 1976.

Pulis, who inspired the turnaround with a half-time rant, said: ‘I just got a few people moving.’ The first movements were from the bench. Pulis sent on Ricardo Fuller and Rory Delap within 12 minutes of the restart to improve the service and energy and was rewarded with a siege on Tim Krul’s goal.

Jones, who was frustrating, lethargic and disinterested before the break, was revived after it and a total nuisance. One header on the hour bounced off the foot of a post. Then he smacked the bar four minutes later from Dean Whitehead’s free-kick.


Equaliser: Kenwyne Jones heads Stoke level


Perhaps sensing it was not his day, Jones then slapped the offending area of the goal with his palm. No Premier League side has hit the woodwork more than Stoke this season.
After Fuller had fallen under Jose Enrique’s messy challenge near the corner — Stoke’s substitute was taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated shoulder — Matthew Etherington clipped a ball into the area which Robert Huth nodded back across goal for Jones to head home.

The visitors’ winner, five minutes from the end and scored by Perch, was far more memorable. The former Nottingham Forest defender, who had been booked in all five of his previous Premier League appearances, leapt acrobatically to power Etherington’s corner past his own keeper.

Newcastle had taken the lead three minutes before half-time when Huth was punished for his block on striker Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan sent Krul the wrong way with the resulting penalty. That was just about Newcastle’s last sight of goal until a late rally.

A side who went through last season unbeaten at home in the Championship have now lost twice in a row at St James’ Park.


source: dailymail