BURNLEY 1 (Alexander pen 66)
STOKE CITY 2 (Tuncay 52, Tonge 67)
Attendance: 1,435
STOKE CITY paid a heavy price for their first victory over League opposition in the pre-season build-up . . . as injuries to Glenn Whelan and Rory Delap overshadowed the 2-1 win over Burnley at the Galpharm Stadium.
Already without winger Matthew Etherington who is nursing a groin strain, City lost Republic of Ireland international Whelan and experienced midfielder Delap in the first half of the Burnley game.
Whelan's calf injury looked particularly worrying as he was helped from the field by physiotherapist Dave Watson, while Delap was also taken off with what appeared to be a niggling back problem.
With manager Tony Pulis placing so much emphasis on fitness in the pre-season preparations, those injury blows were certainly of greater concern to him than the final outcome of the match.
The Potters did, however, recover from the double setback to come out on top at Huddersfield Town's Galpharm Stadium as goals from Tuncay and Michael Tonge earned them the victory.
Turkish international Tuncay, who had scored a hat-trick in the 6-0 win at Newcastle Town seven days earlier, was on target seven minutes into the second half when he powered home a far post header after being picked out by a cross from the right delivered by Liam Lawrence.
Burnley equalised in the 66th minute from the penalty spot when veteran midfielder Graham Alexander beat Asmir Begovic after Robert Huth, City's captain for the day, had been adjudged to have fouled the former Stoke striker Chris Iwelumo shortly after his introduction.
But the Potters regained their lead moments later when midfielder Tonge cut inside from the left hand side and fired a stunning right foot shot past Burnley substitute goalkeeper Lee Grant.
City had created the better goalscoring chances in the first half as the lively Lawrence saw his astute chip catch Brian Jensen off his line, only for it to bounce back out off the underside of the bar.
Lawrence went close again five minutes later with a close range header from Delap's right wing cross but his effort was directed straight at Jensen and the 'keeper save comfortably.
Burnley had their moments too before the break and had loud appeals for a penalty turned down when Ryan Shawcross blocked a first time shot from Dean Marney just inside the box.
And Begovic was alert to the situation when Steven Thomson got his head to a Wade Elliott and moved smartly to his right to gather the goalbound attempt with relative ease.
Whelan was the first to go down injured but although it seemed innocuous with nobody around him, he clearly seemed in trouble as he limped off. Delap followed ten minutes later after going down stretching his back and hamstring . . . Danny Pugh and Tonge taking their places.
Both substitutes made the most of their opportunity and although it was Tonge who got the winner in the end, Pugh was at the heart of some promising moves in the second half.
The closing stages of the game saw Ricardo Fuller and Tuncay go close to adding a third as they stretched the Burnley defence on a number of occasions.
Fuller in particular would have loved to have got on the scoresheet as he received a lot of stick from the Burnley fans due to his time with Preston North End.
