City's youth side put in one of their best performances of the season however, failed to pick up a point, when they hosted club football giant's Liverpool.
The Potters conceded three sloppy goals, and scored two blinders in their fast tempo game on Saturday.
The youngsters started brightly, playing the first ten minutes of the game solidly in Liverpool's end and forcing them to do some tricky defending.On the 15 minute mark, Dean McCormick hammered in a goal to stamp Stoke's authority on the game. Jimmy Philips linked up with McCormick, who took the goal well.
On the half-time mark, however, City were 2-1 down. The lads continued to play well and shape the game, however, Liverpool were dangerous when given the opportunity, as they demonstrated. Their first goal was a free header from a corner; and their second was netted after an opportunity went begging for Liverpool on the break.
After the interval, Stoke continued to show their skills having opportunity after opportunity on goal. The lads' confidence was obviously growing and they were linking up well as a team.
However Liverpool, again, struck lucky on the break. It was Stoke who had the advantage with a corner, but one of the lads from Merseyside was given room and then ran the length of the pitch to put the ball in the back of the net.
At 1-3 down the Potters still weren't dejected, the game could easily have been there's. Lathan Forrester scored Stoke's second goal with an excellent strike from the edge of the box, in the 83rd minute. He curled the ball in from the left hand side with his right foot into the top corner. He had tried a similar move about five minutes before, but unfortunately he hit the post.
Two under-16s made the team, Tom Urwin and Adam Vickers came on as subs. Tom looked very comfortable playing wide right and Vickers showed good pace up front.
Coach, Adrian Pennock was very pleased with the lads performance. "I am very disappointed that we lost, I know we are in the game for development, and everything else, but I want to win.
"At times the football we played was excellent; it was some of the best we've played so far this season. We had the opportunity to beat Liverpool, I just don't know how we lost, we had chance after chance," he mused.
Stoke City (4-4-2): St. Louis-Hamilton, Keys, Ho, Thorley, Parsons, Owens, Philips, Wedderburn, Diao (Urwin 52), McCormick (Vickers 75), Forrester. Subs (not used): McDonald, Harrison, Watson.
