DERBY COUNTY 1 (Porter 8)
STOKE CITY 0
Attendance: 10,386

STOKE CITY went down to an early Chris Porter goal in their latest pre-season game at Championship club Derby County on Tuesday evening.

Porter, deputising for the injured Rob Hulse, headed a eighth minute cross from Gareth Roberts and that proved to be the only goal of the Pride Park encounter.

The Potters pressed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages and the lively Tuncay went close to adding to the hat-trick he scored at Newcastle Town.

But Nigel Clough's side also had moments when they could have stretched their lead and David Martin in particular was unlucky not to add a second.

Manager Tony Pulis named a 16-man squad for the trip to Pride Park and wanted to give his key players more game time as the pre-season build-up continued with a return to the East Midlands where the Potters had earned a goalless draw at Notts County.

The deadlock was soon broken in this game, however, and it was Asmir Begovic who found himself picking the ball out of the back of the net after being beaten by a powerful close range header from Porter as he rose to meet the left wing cross from Roberts.

City had an excellent opportunity to level things up at one apiece in the 21st minute when Rory Delap swung over a cross from the right but Mamady Sidibe turned his close range effort over the bar when under pressure from Dean Leacock.

There was an anxious moment for Begovic when Kris Commons charged down his attempted clearance but fortunately for the 'keeper it fell to safety.

Sidibe had another opportunity in the closing stages of the first half when his header drifted wide of the target following a left wing cross from Danny Collins.

The second half brought a number of changes early in the second half and certainly Liam Lawrence and Tuncay looked sharp after their introduction.

But the first thing that Thomas Sorensen almost had to do after replacing Begovic was pick the ball out of the net as Tomasz Cywka was inches from getting a decisive touch to a low ball drilled into the box by substitute Ben Pringle on the hour.

Delap then fired a shot over the bar after bring a Sidibe flick on under control as City began to mount increasing pressure, but Derby looked threatening on the break on occasions as Commons flashed a shot across goal before he was substituted.

With time running out, the best chance was conjured out of nothing by Tuncay as he latched onto Lawrence's ball into the box, swivelled to make room for himself and then saw his low shot saved one-handed by the diving Bywater.