Stoke City (5/1 to be relegated from Premier League) are hoping injuries picked up by Jon Walters, Kenwyne Jones and Jermaine Pennant this weekend are not serious.
All three players were withdrawn in the second half of their 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Saturday and Stoke’s medical team will assess the trio this coming week.
Potters assistant manager Dave Kemp said: “We started the game very slowly and we let West Ham have too much of the ball. But after we got the goal we started playing better.
“But every time we got up a head of steam, we picked up an injury. That affected us. On reflection it could be two points lost, but maybe it was one gained.”
Kemp added: “It is a groin with Kenwyne, a hamstring possibly with Jermaine and an ankle with Jon Walters. I don’t know how serious those injuries are, we will have to wait and see.”
The stalemate saw Stoke climb out of the relegation zone on goal difference whilst West Ham (8/15 to stay in Premier League) remain rooted to the bottom of the table.
West Ham’s Scott Parker was pleased to see his side pick up their first points of the season, after he opened the scoring at the Britannia Stadium.
The Hammers star said: “It is a platform for us to build on. We have got off to a bad start and come here low in confidence.
“We can leave high in confidence and take a lot of positives. We look forward to Tottenham next Saturday.”
Under pressure boss Avram Grant was absent from the dugout at the Britannia on Saturday due to a religious holiday. However, Parker quelled any suggestion that the manager’s absence affected the West Ham dressing room.
Parker said: “It is always going to be difficult when the manager is not there. We all understand the circumstances. That is football. We have just got on with it and got the result which is good.”
With Grant not on the touchline, West Ham coach Paul Groves filled the void and was pleased with what he saw.
Groves said: “We have faced different types of challenges with the types of teams we have played lately, like Chelsea and Manchester United.
“It was pleasing that we stood up to this challenge and the work-rate of the group was fantastic. It was a decent performance. We created a number of half-chances in the first half and probably controlled the first 45 minutes as much as you can in terms of playing against Stoke and dealing with what they throw at you.”
He added: “It was different in the second half, but I felt that we showed good character, good spirit and good togetherness in terms of answering one or two questions when they managed to get the goal early on.”
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