Stoke manager Mark Robins insists his side will not be resting on their laurels despite taking a significant step towards retaining their Championship status with a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Dutch winger Million Manhoef opened the scoring in the first half and the second goal came just beyond the hour mark, when Owls goalkeeper Pierce Charles inexplicably fired a drop-kick straight into the back of Ben Wilmot before the ball ricocheted goalwards and over the line.
Victory extends the Potters’ unbeaten run to five matches – made up of three wins and two draws – and moves them seven points clear of the relegation zone with just three matches of the season remaining.
“There’s a bit of breathing space, but certainly until it’s mathematically done, then we don’t take anything for granted, that’s for sure,” Robins said.
“To be how we want to be, you have to be brave, and they (the players) have showed that courage and taken the ball.
“But not only that, they’ve shown real quality as well.
“I’m really pleased with them and I’m really pleased for them. And not least the owner (John Coates) because he’s put a lot of time, work and money into this club that he loves and I’m pleased that things are starting to move in the right direction for him.
“I’m not saying this is the end of our season now because it really isn’t.”
Stoke face promotion chasers Leeds and Sheffield United in their next two outings before ending the season away at relegation-threatened Derby.
“We want to give it a right good go for the last three games,” Robins added.
“There’s only a couple of weeks left, but we’ve got to do that, and hopefully we can pick up some more points and try and climb the table further.
“We knew Leeds and Sheffield United were tough games, and we know Derby County’s a tough game, for different reasons, but we’ll have a good go.”
Wednesday have now gone six games without a win and drop one place to 15th – just above Stoke who are 16th.
Boss Danny Rohl accused some of his players of being incapable of playing the type of football he wants them to.
“I think my feeling is disappointment, but two things – first, we have to separate the last four or five results from the previous 18 months,” he added. “At the moment, we’re damaging our good work a little bit.
“And on the other side, the last couple of weeks, some players showed that they’re not able to play my football. We speak about quality, decision-making.
“If you want to improve as a club, you have to do a lot of things right in the summer, otherwise – and this is what I tell you – next season will be a big, big fight to stay in this league because we have a group of players that are not able to play at this level – not my football. I must say this today very directly.
“I think I protect all my players again and again, I take all the responsibility, I give chances now to players to see what they can do, but the results at the moment are not what they should be.
“And I demand, at the moment, not special things. For me, it’s about basics.”
