Sam Vokes at the double as City maintain impressive pre-season form...
Wrexham 1 (Grant 26)
Stoke City 3 (Campbell 5, Vokes 72, 82)
STOKE CITY continued their preparations for the forthcoming campaign with a fully deserved 3-1 triumph over Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground on Wednesday evening.
Goals from Tyrese Campbell and a clinically taken Sam Vokes brace helped the visitors put the Dragons to the sword in an entertaining affair against the National League side.
With attentions gradually turning towards the Championship curtain-raiser with Queens Park Rangers in just over two weeks time, Jones took the decision to hand 60 minutes of game time to a number of his players in North Wales.
Having previously split his squad into two for the fixtures against Leek Town and MSV Duisburg on Saturday, the Welshman opted to build-up the fitness levels of the starting XI, with the rest of the group getting the final 30 minutes.
Despite a real youthfulness of the starting line-up, and relative inexperience, they needed just five minutes to break the deadlock, with Academy graduates Thibaud Verlinden and Campbell linking up to devastating effect.
Belgian youngster Verlinden weaved his way past the Dragons fullback and dinked in a delicious delivery which Campbell planted into the bottom corner of the net, leaving goalkeeper Christian Dibble helpless.
Verlinden was often at the centre of most of the Potters positive moments during the first 45 and went close with a fizzing strike which flew just wide of the post from distance.
The home side stuck at it though and managed to pull themselves back onto level terms midway through the opening half, albeit in slightly fortuitous circumstances.
Tom Edwards, who impressed with his tenacity down the right, miscued a ball back to Adam Federici, who did his best to clear the danger, only for JJ Hooper to intervene and free the unmarked Grant eight-yards out who headed into an empty net.
That proved to be the only real blemish of a productive first 45 minutes for Jones’ men, although the Potters boss would have been concerned when Campbell was forced to prematurely depart the action with an injury.
The second 45 heralded the start of Tommy Smith’s City career, with the former Huddersfield Town man getting his first run out in red and white, whilst a plethora of his new teammates were introduced on the hour mark.
Their arrivals breathed real life and dynamism to the City side, with Vokes in particular proving a constant nuisance to the Wrexham rear-guard, with his intelligence and clam nature in front of goal.
He needed just 12 minutes to net his fourth goal of pre-season to date, finishing with real aplomb after Benik Afobe had been denied from 12-yards.
The visitors were in cruise control and it seemed only a matter of time until two became three with Nick Powell rattling a strike just over the bar, whilst the lively Sam Clucas warmed the hands of Dibble with a curling effort from range.
A third goal was in the offing however, and once again it was Vokes showing his prowess in front of goal, leaping high to meet Afobe’s teasing centre and glancing the ball back across goal and into the back of the net.
It proved to be a perfect end to a very encouraging evening’s work, and Jones will undoubtedly be looking for more of the same when the side travel to Tranmere Rovers this coming weekend.
Stoke City: Federici; Edwards (Smith 46), Batth (Shawcross 60), Martins Indi (Lindsay 60), Ward (McClean 60); Woods (Cousins 60); Dunwoody (Clucas 60), Sorensen (Allen 60); Verlinden (Powell 60); Campbell (Jarvis 40, Vokes 60), Gregory (Afobe 60).