Mark Robins was pleased with how his Stoke City side went about their pre-season win against Burnley – despite admitting the sending off “spoiled” the affair.
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The defender was on the spot to capitalise on a mistake from Max Weiss, who had failed to clear a high ball after a corner had been partially cleared up into the air.
Despite naming a strong starting XI, the Clarets struggled to create many clear-cut chances of note and were even forced to end the game with 10 men when former Stoke man Josh Laurent was dismissed for two bookable offences.
Reflecting on the game, Robins told BBC Radio Stoke: “It's been a really good workout up until the sending off for them. I think that spoils things.
“We performed pretty well though when they had 11 men. There were a lot of good signs, a lot of positive things. Some really good slick play, some good passing.
“The only thing that was missing really was a load of chances. We got into good positions and then didn't find the final bit. But you're playing against Premier League opposition and Kyle Walker coming into their team makes them a lot stronger and quicker.
Robins' Stoke side begin their season at home to Derby County next weekend (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)placeholder image
Robins' Stoke side begin their season at home to Derby County next weekend (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
“I thought we coped with them pretty well. They have some really clever rotations and try and take you into positions you don't want to be necessarily.
“Things change next week because the blood and thunder of the Championship is different. We won't play against that quality very often in our league, but there are certainly some quality players within our league.
“When they move the ball quickly, they are really good and difficult to break down. But we did really, really well most of the time in our recoveries. When the transition moments came, I thought we were pretty good.
“We could have ended up making it two with our chances later on in the game. But our goal comes via a really well-worked set-piece routine. Ben Wilmot sticks it in the back of the net brilliantly and we get our noses in front in the game.”
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