Stoke will treat Bolton with respect says Tony Pulis
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Your support makes all the difference.Stoke manager Tony Pulis insists his side will treat FA Cup semi-final opponents Bolton with "total respect".
A controversial 2-1 victory over West Ham put the Potters into the last four for the first time in 39 years, and only fourth time in their history.
Having avoided the big names in Manchester United and Manchester City, Stoke know they will not have a better chance to reach their first FA Cup final.
However, Pulis stressed they would not be taking the challenge lightly.
"I think it is being disrespectful to Bolton to say it is the draw we wanted, we just wanted to win against West Ham," added Pulis.
"We will treat them with total respect. If you look at Bolton and their history, they have been a Premier League side a lot longer than us and have established Premier League players.
"We will respect them and we know it will be a tough game for us."
Centre-back Robert Huth's eighth goal of the season gave Stoke a 13th-minute lead but Frederic Piquionne's clear handball was missed by referee Mike Jones as the striker went on to score the equaliser.
Former Hammer Matt Etherington missed a penalty seconds after the interval but Danny Higginbotham drilled a free-kick through the wall and goalkeeper Robert Green could only push it onto a post and into the net to ensure the official's error was irrelevant.
"We have been very unfortunate this year, we have copped quite a few (bad decisions) in the league," he said.
"We were very good for 25 minutes and then when they get their first shot on goal from that it was disappointing.
"From where I was standing it looked a stone-banker handball.
"Matty came out in the second half and missed a penalty and that knocks you down again but great credit to the players - for a lesser team that would have affected them.
"For two and a half years at this club, since we were promoted, we have been written off.
"We have got to three quarter-finals of cup competitions now we have a semi-final.
"We've finished 12th and 11th in the Premier League and the players and chairman deserve a hell of a lot of credit."
West Ham boss Avram Grant suggested the referee tried to even things up after his mistake, claiming James Tomkins should have had a penalty late on instead of being penalised for a foul on Jon Walters.
"Until they scored [the second] goal he gave fouls, a penalty, everything for them," he said.
"It was a penalty for us at the end which he didn't give. What happened with Tomkins was more bushido (the Japanese code of conduct for samurai warriors).
"Maybe he felt a little bit guilty. I think it was the effect of the first goal for us."
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