.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Stoke City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Sat, Apr 7, 2012
Stoke City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Sat, Apr 7, 2012. A doomed-looking Wolverhampton Wanderers travel to Stoke City looking for a first win under Terry Connor and a shot in the arm to their survival hopes, live on ESPN UK on Saturday at 17.30 BST.
Wolves are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, six points from safety, and are favourites for the drop, with their form doing little to persuade a late rally is in the offing.
Their six matches under interim boss Connor, who replaced Mick McCarthy to much bewilderment, reads one point gained from a possible 18. Connor continues to put a brave face on the slump, but time is fast running out to preserve his side's top-flight status.
With seven games remaining, a potential battle of wills against Stoke could be the type of game the away side need, having not played badly in their last outing versus Bolton, with profligacy their enemy in the 3-2 defeat.
And the onus is even greater on this trip to the Potteries as Wolves, who have the worst defensive record in the division, host Arsenal four days after, when they will be given little chance of adding to their points total.
For Stoke, victory would take them past the much-desired 40-point mark, giving the 13th-placed club a platform to focus on a top-half finish and an opportunity to address their recent inconsistency.
Just two wins, which were achieved back-to-back, have been accrued in their previous 11 league fixtures, leading to a slide down the standings, while their most recent game, a 2-0 loss at Wigan, was a disappointing performance and result.
"They must play a lot better than they did today," manager Tony Pulis reflected after the loss at the DW Stadium, as the Welshman perhaps looks to take heart from a solid record versus the Latics, having suffered defeat in one of their last nine meetings.
Stoke City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers channels #1
