By Andy Warren
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Town make it two wins from two
Luke Woolfenden and Kayden Jackson scored the goals as Town opened their home league campaign with victory over Stoke.
In front of a crowd of more than 29,000, the Blues scored once in each half to secure the points, making it two wins from two at the start of the Championship season.
Woolfenden’s opener came as the defender rose highest inside the box on 23 minutes, heading home skipper Sam Morsy’s free-kick to score his first goal at second-tier level.
Then, in the second half, Jackson made the game safe with a neat finish to end a flowing move from back-to-front on 81 minutes.
Town had the first shot of the game inside two minutes, with Wes Burns picking up on a loose ball, midway inside the Stoke half, and driving towards goal before seeing his shot tipped over the top by keeper Mark Travers.
A succession of corners followed, with Conor Chaplin seeing a chance deflected over from the second, before Stoke were ultimately able to clear their lines.
Luongo was next to try his luck, seeing a shot blocked away before it could threaten the goal, as Town continued to push before soon getting the breakthrough their early performance deserved.
It came from a set piece, with skipper Sam Morsy flighting the ball nicely into the box, where Woolfenden rose highest to nod the ball home.
Vaclav Hladky needed to make a good save from Daniel Johnson to keep the scores level at the interval, before George Hirst sent a shot just wide, with Woolfenden’s goal sending Town to the dressing rooms with the advantage.
Hladky was busy at the start of the second-half, first stopping Andre Vidigal’s effort before doing well to deny Ben Wilmot, with Chaplin posing the first threat for Town as attacker stung the palms of Travers with a vicious shot.
After penalty appeals for handball were turned away, Burns sent in a low drive which Travers did well to adjust and hold, before Hirst took Morsy’s through-ball a few moments later and had a shot blocked away en route to goal.
The first changes of the afternoon for Town saw Marcus Harness and Kayden Jackson replace Broadhead and Hirst, who had emptied the tank, with Jackson quickly involved as he got to the byline and fired in a cross which Travers needed to dig out with his feet.
Woolfenden and Burgess combined to block a Stoke shot from the edge of the box as the game ticked past the 70-minute mark, as Town kept their sheet clean but kept on pressing before eventually being rewarded with a second goal which surely made the game safe.
The Blues went from back to front to score out, with Burgess playing the ball into Harness, allowing the attacker to turn and launch an attack which ended with Burns crossing low and Jackson converting well to double the advantage.
Hutchinson forced a good low save from Travers, as Town hunted a third, but the two goals proved enough as Kieran McKenna’s men claimed the points.
Town: Hladky, Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Morsy (C), Luongo (Taylor, 90+1), Davis, Chaplin (Hutchinson, 83), Broadhead (Harness, 68), Hirst (Jackson, 68).
Subs: Slicker, Leigh, Ball, Evans, Ladapo.
Stoke: Travers, Stevens, Pearson, Rose, Vidigal, Johnson, Wilmot, Hoever, Mmaee (Gayle, 74), Chiquinho (Wesley, 33), Laurent.
Subs: Bonham, Tymon, Thompson, McNally, Sidibe, Okagbue, Lowe.
Att: 29,006 (1,749 Stoke fans)
