Tony Pulis had nothing but praise for his players following their tremendous opening day victory at Ninian Park.

Ryan Shawcross' goal after 27 minutes secured all three points for the Potters, but Pulis believes all the players deserve credit for the performance.

Speaking exclusively to Stoke City World he said: "It is a great start to the season, we knew it was going to be difficult coming here with 20,000 fans behind them.

"It was a hard game but we worked extremely hard defensively, we dealt with balls going into the box and Simmo was absolutely fantastic.

"He made two saves in the first half and the double save from the penalty right at the end which was absolutely top drawer.

"It's not just about the keeper though, everyone played a big part, Richard Cresswell was brilliant, he covered a lot of grass and tracked back which got us out of jail a few times."

Manchester United youngster Shawcross only joined the club on Thursday, but it didn't take him long to endear himself to the City faithful.

And the City boss is certain his strike proved just as much a shock for the defender as it was for him.

He says: "Ryan took his goal with aplomb and I think he was surprised as anyone to see it go in.

"For the penalty he got caught out on the wrong side of the defender and he looked tired as the game wore on.

"He is still young but has great potential and we need to make sure we look after him."

With more games now starting to come thick and fast, more players arriving before the end of the month is a must according to Pulis, but he admits the players in the squad today proved they have what it takes.

"The players were brilliant," says the delighted City boss.

"We have lost the five loan players from last season as well as Darel Russell and Carl Hoefkens, but the lads worked extremely hard as a group.

"Hopefully we will be able to get a few more in next week. People will maybe get carried away with the result but we need to strengthen the team to keep it up.

"We showed really good spirit and I think all the fans will go home very happy."