Steven Schumacher is calling for the same again from the Stoke City faithful for what is likely to be a bumper home crowd against West Brom.
Stoke supporters have showcased their loyalty over the last couple of years as patience has been tested at the bet365 Stadium. There was a crowd of 23,917 for Monday’s draw with Huddersfield Town despite the visitors only bringing 1,233.
Schumacher had received a bit of stick from individuals as he made his way down the touchline trailing 1-0 at half-time, but he appreciated the backing from the home stands as a whole as his side came back to earn a point with a goal from Ki-Jana Hoever.
Stoke are now preparing for a test against Albion, who are all-but guaranteed a spot in the play-offs. They sit fifth and eight points ahead of seventh-placed Coventry with six games remaining, unbeaten in their last eight.
Schumacher said: “It’s another huge game. Hopefully it’s another big crowd and hopefully the crowd can support us again like they did against Huddersfield, when I thought they were brilliant.
“I know everyone is disappointed when we concede, and at half-time I’m getting a bit of abuse, but that’s part and parcel of football. Hopefully everyone gets in on Saturday and gets behind the team because we’re going to need them.”
The Huddersfield draw, on the back of a Good Friday win at Hull, gives Stoke a five-point buffer to the bottom three. Huddersfield had closed the gap to two points in the in-play table to highlight the importance of Hoever’s equaliser.
“It was dead important not to lose the game,” said Schumacher. “Yes, we wanted to win it and three points would have been ideal, six points over the weekend would have been brilliant, but it was important that we didn’t let Huddersfield get any closer to us. We managed to do that and now we can get ready for the next game.”
Leave a Reply