TONY PULIS was given a triple boost ahead of Stoke City's Barclays Premier League clash with Aston Villa as Glenn Whelan, Rory Delap and Danny Higginbotham declared themselves fit for the game at the Britannia Stadium.
Whelan passed a fitness test on his hamstring injury picked up in the FA Cup quarter final at Chelsea while Delap had recovered from the foot injury which left him limping in the closing stages of the midweek draw at Burnley.
Higginbotham was back in the centre of defence after a three week absence with a back injury and replaced Andy Wilkinson.
Pulis also had striker Ricardo Fuller available after recovering from a virus and he was named among the Potters'substitutes, while there was a place on the bench for teenage striker Louis Moult following his debut at Burnley.
Villa's leading scorer Gabriel Agbonlahor had recovered from a stomach bug, but he was named among the substitutes.
CITY (4-4-2): Sorensen; Huth, Faye, Higginbotham, Collins; Delap, Whelan, Whitehead, Etherington; Sidibe, Tuncay. Subs: Begovic, Lawrence, Fuller, Kitson, Pugh, Wilkinson, Moult.
VILLA (4-4-2): Friedel; Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Warnock; A Young, Milner, Petrov, Downing; Heskey, Carew. Subs: Guzan, L Young, Sidwell, Agbonlahor, Delfouneso, Delph, Beye.
REFEREE: Kevin Friend
