Grieving boss inspires Stoke win

(14-09-2010) Grieving Stoke City manager Tony Pulis made a half-time appearance at the Brittania Stadium on Monday to inspire a second-half comeback by the Potters against Aston Villa. Pulis had been forced to skip the match following the death of his mother earlier in the day. Assistant boss Dave Kemp says Pulis' intervention was key to Stoke's comeback from a goal down at the break to win 2-1. "He was in the dressing room for the half-time team-talk and he took the paint off the walls," said Kemp. "He has obviously had a very sad day but typically for him he wanted to get straight into it, put his overalls on and get on with his work. His appearance gave the players and the fans a boost and I think you saw that." The result was Stoke’s first win of the season.