NEWCASTLE TOWN 0
STOKE CITY 3 (Cresswell 16, Parkin 32, Rooney 66)

City got off to winning ways in the annual curtain raiser in front of 3,011 supporters at the Lyme Valley Stadium.

Boss Tony Pulis fielded different teams in each half as his first team prepare to travel to Austria for the pre-season training camp tomorrow.

The Potters looked dangerous from the off and it took them just sixteen minutes to break the deadlock through Richard Cresswell.

A deep ball from the left-hand side by Danny Pugh found Vincent Pericard and Andy Wilkinson in the area but after the pair collided the ball fell to Cresswell who finished well from an acute angle.

The home side fought back with strikes from Simon Eldershaw and former Potter Paul Macari but Steve Simonsen stood firm in the City goal.

Liam Lawrence saw a 25-yard free kick tipped wide just after the half-hour mark but moments later Jon Parkin would double the advantage with a 30-yard strike that hit the post en-route to the back of the net.

Parkin nearly bagged a brace minutes later but his attempt on goal was cleared off the line for a corner.

The second half saw Mamady Sidibe go close with a lob after being sent down the right flank, however the goalkeeper back-peddled well to tip around the post.

Jimmy Phillips then cut inside on 55 minutes and fired a fierce low strike at goal but again the home keeper was on hand to parry behind for a corner.

Eleven minutes later though Adam Rooney would make it 3-0 to Pulis' men when he converted Marc Grocott's low ball into the box following great work down the flank by second half skipper Andy Griffin.

Rooney almost got his second moments later when his neat turn and shot when inches wide following a marauding run by Ryan Shawcross.

The Irish striker was then denied again by the man between the sticks on 82 minutes when he fired at goal after connecting to Griffin's cross from the right touchline.

Phillips went close again with five minutes remaining but it would finish 3-0 in what proved to be a useful work-out ahead of the Barclays Premier League opener at Bolton Wanderers in just under a month's time.

FIRST HALF (4-4-2): Simonsen; Wilkinson, Cort, Matteo (c), Pugh; Lawrence, Delap, Whelan, Cresswell; Pericard, Parkin.

SECOND HALF (4-4-2): Simonsen; Griffin (c), Shawcross, Buxton, Dickinson; Grocott, Thorley, Pulis, J. Phillips, Rooney, Sidibe.