Shrewsbury pull off extraordinary comeback to knock Stoke City out of the FA Cup
Stoke 2-3 Shrewsbury: a brilliant fightback was capped on 81 minutes when Greg Docherty crossed for Josh Laurent to tap home the winner
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Your support makes all the difference.Shrewsbury Town staged the unlikeliest of dramatic fightbacks to dump Stoke out of the FA Cup.
Josh Laurent scored a late winner to clinch a famous victory for the Shrews against a Stoke side who had appeared in little trouble when Tyrese Campbell’s first two senior goals on his full debut gave them a 2-0 half-time lead.
There were few signs of the implosion to come, even when James Bolton’s 71st-minute rocket for Shrewsbury halved their deficit.
Yet it was 2-2 on 77 when Fejiri Okenabirhie converted a penalty he had won.
And a brilliant fightback was capped on 81 minutes when Greg Docherty crossed for Laurent to tap home the winner.
Stoke had an early penalty rejected when Moritz Bauer tangled with Ryan Haynes.
But the League One side made their intentions clear when Anthony Grant thundered into an early challenge on Charlie Adam and won the ball cleanly.
The hosts thought they had broken the deadlock on 15 minutes when Adam’s free-kick was headed by Peter Crouch against the post, the ball rebounded off goalkeeper Steve Arnold and crossed the line.
But as the veteran striker wheeled away to celebrate he was denied by an offside flag.
An uncomfortable stooping header by Mat Sadler, the Shrewsbury captain, might have led to an own-goal moments later but Arnold was equal to it.
The first Shrewsbury threat came on 20 minutes when a cross from the left by Haynes was inches away from a diving Aaron Amadi-Holloway at the far post.
But seconds later Campbell kept his composure to open the scoring.
He collected a neat pass from Tom Ince, stepped past a defender and slotted a confident, lo shot past Arnold.
The goal signalled the start of a dominant spell for the hosts, with Peter Etebo dragging a long-range effort just wide.
Nine minutes before half-time Campbell gave his side breathing space with another finish of quality.
Adam’s angled ball was headed at the far post by defender Luke Waterfall but his clearance was met with a fine volley by Campbell from 12 yards that flew past Arnold.
Ince should have put the tie to bed two minutes into the second half when he arrived at the near post to meet a Josh Tymon cross, but he poked his shot wide.
Sam Clucas then screwed a shot over the crossbar after Shrewsbury failed to clear another Adam free-kick.
Anthony Grant pulled a right-footed cross-shot narrowly wide for Shrewsbury but the Shropshire side appeared resigned to their fate with more than 20 minutes remaining.
Ince had a long-range effort deflected wide for the hosts as maintained the pressure.
Yet with 19 minutes remaining the visitors had hope with a bolt from the blue by Bolton.
The full-back advanced down the right, collected the ball 25 yards from goal at an angle and rifled a right-footed drive inside the near post and into the top corner.
James McClean could have restored Stoke’s advantage just moments after being introduced as a substitute but, after arriving on the end of a slick move, his cross-shot was charged down by Omar Beckles.
Stoke appeared in little trouble with Bolton’s goal looking set to matter not.
Yet on 77 minutes gone Okenabirhie cut into the box and was tripped clumsily by Clucas before picking himself up to equalise decisively from the spot.
And just four minutes later and with fans still digesting the equaliser, Greg Docherty burst down the right and crossed to the far post where an unmarked Laurent finished to spark wild celebrations.
Stoke (4-3-1-2): Federici; Bauer, Williams, Martins Indi, Tymon; Clucas, Adam (Afobe 82), Etebo; Ince; Crouch, Campbell (McClean 72). Subs: Haugaard, Berahino, Edwards, Souttar, Woods. Booked: Etebo, Adam.
Shrewsbury (4-4-2): Arnold; Bolton, Waterfall, Sadler, Haynes; Docherty, Laurent (Eisa 88), Grant, Okenabirhie; Amadi-Holloway (Beckles HT), Gilliead (Angol 90). Subs: Agius, Emmanuel, Sears, Rowland.
Referee: Geoff Eltringham
Attendance: 10,261
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