Shrewsbury Town v Stoke City: Historic Jack Grimmer goal will haunt Gary Rowett's Potters
Last season a Jack Grimmer winner for Coventry knocked Stoke City out of the FA Cup at the third round stage.
Manager Mark Hughes was sacked that night.
Fast forward 364 days to the third-round stage this season and the Potters are in a similar position – things are pretty grim at the Bet365 Stadium.
The animosity surrounding Gary Rowett is worsening by the day and the former Burton and Birmingham boss requires a miracle run of results to halt the criticism coming from the terraces.
The wrong result at Montgomery Waters Meadow from a visiting point of view will more than likely see the axe drop on Rowett before January 5 is up.
Rowett may be thankful that Grimmer – who scored a dramatic FA Cup winner for Shrewsbury against Sheffield Wednesday while in Shropshire – is not still wearing blue and amber. But, realistically, Rowett has more than enough to concern himself with his side’s inconsistent form that has seen a fanbase totally turn against him.
Fourteenth in the Championship and eight points from the play-offs isn’t exactly beyond the realms of salvaging, but Rowett’s reputation with the Stoke fanbase may be.
The boss has come under fire for his 4-3-3 formation, personnel selection and defensive style – the latter after Rowett’s side shipped a flurry of goals earlier on this season. There have been chants of ‘4-4-2’ and personal attacks of Rowett’s style in recent weeks.
Confidence is low in the Stoke ranks. The talent in the Stoke squad should be more than enough to fight for Championship promotion, there is an embarrassment of riches underperforming.
Rowett is unlikely to make many changes for the tie, which screams banana skin for the visitors in front of a sold out 1,500 away allocation smelling blood.
But Stoke have a plethora of talent to bring in that should put League One sides like Shrewsbury to the sword.
Ryan Woods is making his Shrewsbury return, should he get over an illness, and Jack Butland, Tom Ince, James McClean and Saido Berahino – who all have Premier League experience – could be involved.
It’s a tough old test for Shrews but one which proves a great chance to reach round four.
