Stoke can rise to challenge – Higginbotham

FORMER Manchester United player Danny Higginbotham insists it would be wrong to write off Stoke City in tomorrow’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford.

Higginbotham, who is relishing his latest chance to play against the team he supported from boyhood, pointed to the shock results the Potteries team had already pulled off this season.

“Nobody expects us to get anything from tomorrow’s game, but they also said that against Arsenal and Liverpool, so let’s see what happens,” he declared.

Promoted Stoke have adapted well to life in the Premier League. They lie in 11th place with 14 points from 12 matches and have beaten Aston Villa and Arsenal at home and achieved a goalless draw at Liverpool.

Opposing teams don’t relish their route-one approach, with Rory Delap’s incredible long throws a pivotal part of their armoury.

Higginbotham is one of a select band of players to savour victory against United at Old Trafford.

He said: “When I first went back it was with Derby and it was special. It was the next-to-last game of the season, we needed to win to stay up, and we recorded a 1-0 victory.

“Everybody was celebrating on the day because we had stayed up, though United had already won the league.”

Tomorrow will also be a day to remember for former United defender Ryan Shawcross, who will get his first chance to play at Old Trafford since his £1million move to Stoke in January after a loan spell in the Potteries.

The 21-year-old Shawcross, who managed only two substitute appearances for the Reds in Carling Cup ties, was a key figure in Stoke’s promotion-winning side, playing in 41 of their 46 league games and scoring eight goals in league and cup.

It would be the biggest upset of the season should Stoke manager Tony Pulis mastermind a victory as United are unbeaten at Old Trafford and Stoke have yet to win on their travels.