Stoke City Secures Win Over Blackburn Thanks to McGlynn’s Clever Free-Kick
Stoke City manager Mark Robins praised the inventive free-kick by Jack McGlynn that propelled the Potters to a 2-1 victory against Blackburn Rovers.
The match had posed challenges for Robins’ team, who struggled to penetrate the defense set up by Tony Mowbray’s side. However, just before halftime, McGlynn seized an opportunity to catch Hungarian goalkeeper Balasz Toth off guard.
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“He’s the only player on the pitch for us who might attempt something like that,” Robins explained during an interview with BBC Radio Stoke. “We had only a few good moments until the goal came.”
Robins noted, “I saw him move to his left and thought he might try it. The execution was phenomenal. You look for quality – and our first goal was just that.”
He continued, “Honestly, I saw where the goalkeeper was positioned and thought, ‘Go on, please see it.’ I wanted to shout to him but I couldn’t.”
Robins further added, “He adjusted his stance slightly, and I thought, ‘Go on,’ and he did it. It was incredible. Spotting the opportunity, attempting it, and then executing it was absolutely fantastic.”
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Stoke extended their lead when Moussa Baradji inadvertently scored an own goal, but the Potters faced a moment of tension when Andri Gudjohnsen netted late in the match, only to have his equalizer disallowed for a foul.
“The second goal provided us with a cushion, and we sent 3,500 Stoke City fans home very happy, but we got away with it,” Robins remarked. “It was a hard-fought win. We made it tougher than it needed to be by giving the ball away too easily. However, it’s a brilliant win – it should help us build confidence and belief.”
