City won their second Academy Premier League game in a row as they beat Leeds United 1-0 in an entertaining game at the Michelin training ground.

The Potters had not played for two weeks due to last week's postponement of the home clash with Sheffield Wednesday and started the brighter of the two teams, with Louis Moult winning a free kick in the 3^rd minute that Vauls floated in for McDonald to head goalwards, but he couldn't get it on target and it whistled wide.

Leeds then had chances to open the scoring as a header from Sam Jerome forced Tom Harrison into a fantastic reaction save before Sam Jones failed to test the keeper with two wayward efforts.

Stoke produced a great passing move to carve open the visitor's rearguard when after neat interchange in the midfield Andy Nicholls chipped a pass through to striker Moult who took a touch before beating his man around the outside and then whipping a low cross across the 6 yard box that evaded the slide of his strike partner Warwick Alexander and found its way out to Tom Urwin on the wing.

Urwin sold a dummy to his marker before rounding him and smashing the ball goalwards, only to see his effort blocked out as it looked to be heading for the top corner.

Alexander then got himself in the thick of the action shortly after as he controlled a Vauls headed clearance before spinning his marker and shooting low and hard, forcing the keeper into an impressive save.

Alexander then turned provider on thirty-eight minutes as he again controlled a long ball forward before turning and playing a clever pass behind the defence perfectly for the run of Nicholls.

The energetic midfielder got to the by-line but as he tried to pick out one of the 3 Potters players in the box he was confronted with a full blooded challenge from Callum Edwards, in the Leeds defence, and had to settle for a corner.

Stoke ended the half with another effort as Alexander again controlled the ball before spinning off his marker and cracking a vicious shot goalwards that Matt Edwards did well to hold in the Leeds goal.

Leeds would have been happy for the half time whistle and they started the second half as if they meant business with Jerome outpacing and outmuscling Rodney McDonald before forcing Harrison into a top quality save low to his right and then watched as the ever alert Ryan Connor cleared the loose ball.

The Potters had had the majority of the possession and chances thus far and in the 57^th minute they made the breakthrough as Tom Urwin collected a Nathaniel Wedderburn pass before putting in a perfect cross from deep that Alexander rose to meet 8 yards out, leaping above 2 defenders to power his header across goal and into the far corner.

It extended the young striker's record of scoring in every game this season and was due reward for his, and Stokes, fine performance.

Leeds were now hunting for an equaliser and nearly found it when the impressive Jerome danced through the home defence before cracking the ball goalwards only to see another wonderful stop by Harrison deny him.

The ball rebounded off the keeper back into the path of Jerome but before he could tap it into the unguarded net Connor slid in and cleared the ball away, preventing an almost certain goal.

William Hatfield now tried his luck for the visitors as he played an intelligent one two with Jerome before forcing Harrison into yet another great save low to his right.

The game was now swinging from end to end as Wedderburn played a defence splitting pass to put Moult away down the left-hand side.

Moult collected the pass before sliding the ball into the path of Adam Vickers who shot first time, but watched his effort skim the top of the crossbar and go out for a goal kick.

The action swung back down the other end almost immediately as Harrison was forced into his best save of the afternoon as Jones powered in a free header from 6 yards only to see the young stopper instantly smother the effort and hang on to deny any chance of a second attempt for the Whites.

Stoke then controlled the game in the middle of the pitch, slowing proceedings down to try and run the last twenty minutes down with as little incident as possible.

With 7 minutes left though it looked like the Potters rearguard had been breached as Booth beat the offside trap and sprinted goalwards, sucking in McDonald before playing in the now unmarked Jerome to finish the move from 6 yards out with just the keeper to beat.

The spectators held their breath, the Stoke players winced, the Leeds players screamed encouragement as he drew his right foot back, seemingly to sidefoot the ball into the net, only to completely miss the ball and let the Potters off the hook.

Three minutes later Leeds again got through one on one with Harrison, this time Hatfield was the player looking to equalise, and forced the keeper into a great save low to his right before the recovering Connor showed great awareness again to pick up the pieces and clear the danger.

Stoke were now looking for a release of the pressure and found it when the ball was played to Alexander who chested the ball down before turning his man and playing Vickers in.

The Stoke striker took too heavy a first touch though and the ball ran through to the keeper.

The Potters nearly doubled their lead in injury time as a possession keeping exercise turned into an opportunity as, after many short passes, McDonald chipped the ball to Alexander who, having spotted the run by Moult, flicked the ball on to his strike partner who held it up before laying it off to Alexander who blasted the ball just over the bar from 20 yards.

Stoke (4-4-2): T.Harrison, Vauls, Wint, Connor, McDonald, Urwin, Vickers (Stockhall 90+3), Wedderburn, Nicholls, Moult, Alexander

By Dan Buxton.