Commons touch earns deserved point for Stoke

Rejected by Notts County at 16 and passed over by Chesterfield after a trial, Kris Commons nearly marked his League debut by beating Kevin Pressman from 40 yards on the season's opening day. He finally achieved his goal from closer range yesterday to salvage a deserved point for Stoke and deny unbeaten Norwich the First Division leadership.

In a closely fought encounter between two sides whose fortunes contrasted vividly in their respective play-off final matches in May, Norwich looked on course for the top spot after Adam Drury scored with two minutes of the second half played. They had reckoned without the 18-year-old Commons, whose equaliser put the seal on a display on the left of Stoke's midfield that can only have impressed the posse of Premiership scouts present.

Nigel Worthington, the Norwich manager and a former Stoke player, swallowed his disappointment to describe Commons' riposte as "an excellent goal from a piece of great individual skill". He qualified his praise by adding "from Stoke's point of view", making it plain that he considered the home players should have put him under greater pressure.

His Stoke counterpart, Steve Cotterill, had his tongue only slightly in cheek when he admitted he was "frightened to death" Commons might be spirited away before Saturday's transfer window. "Maybe we'll take the phones off the hook and send him away somewhere uncontactable," the former Cheltenham manager said. "He has been doing that sort of thing week in, week out and we've been saying it was only a matter of time before he scored. He's a very special talent."

Cotterill insisted he was not under pressure to sell, although it is no secret that Stoke, three years on from their Icelandic takeover, are not in the rudest of financial health. Their board convened before the game a meeting at which it was expected that a director, Phil Rawlins, would face accusations of seeking to whip up dissent against the chairman, Gunnar Gislason, so that he might buy the club more cheaply.

The first half was likely to have whipped up only apathy. Stoke, a slightly built team with the exception of their defence, worked hard to prevent Norwich from asserting their neat passing game. Commons and Marc Goodfellow, a clever forward who may be more profitably deployed in a deeper role once the new signing Chris Greenacre is fit, caught the eye, but the visitors went up a gear with striking effect immediately after the break.

Paul McVeigh's through-pass found his left-back, Drury, charging into the inside-left channel to stab the ball past Neil Cutler for his first goal since joining from Peterborough 18 months ago. Yet Stoke, to their credit, merely stepped up their efforts and their pressure was rewarded in stirring fashion with 16 minutes remaining.

Commons was only just in the Norwich half when he took possession with his back to goal. A jinking run, incorporating a one-two with Goodfellow, was followed by a 15-yard shot which went in off the inside of the far post to ensure a night of celebration in the house of Commons.

Stoke City (4-4-2): Cutler; Thomas, Handyside, Shtaniuk, Clarke; Henry (Gudjonsson, 62), Gunnarsson, O'Connor, Commons; Cooke, Goodfellow (Iwelumo, 87). Substitutes not used: Marteinsson, Vandeurzen, Viander (gk).

Norwich City (4-4-2): Green; Nedergaard, Kenton, Fleming, Drury; Rivers (Notman, 83), Mulryne, Holt, Easton (Heckingbottom, 75); Roberts, McVeigh (Nielsen, 75). Substitutes not used: Mackay, Crichton (gk).

Referee: C Wilkes (Gloucester).