STOKE: An early Peter Crouch goal gave Stoke City a 1-0 home win against Newcastle United on Monday, ratcheting up the pressure onto beleaguered Toon boss Alan Pardew and left the Magpies still searching for their first Premier League victory of the season.

Crouch rose above Fabricio Coloccini to head in a cross from Victor Moses in the 15th minute, which proved enough against a Newcastle side that struggled to create scoring chances at a rain-drenched Britannia Stadium.

Defeat meant the north-east side had taken just three points out of a possible 18 from six matches, with only newly-promoted Burnley keeping them off the bottom of the table courtesy of having scored fewer goals.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley had played down comments he made last week that Pardew would have to go if he lost at Stoke, but the home fans still tormented the manager with chants of ‘sacked in the morning’ ringing out at the Britannia.

Newcastle rarely threatened to score an equaliser, with Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic only really having to make one save of note in denying Daryl Janmaat.

Six minutes from time, Newcastle midfielder Jack Colback almost made it 1-1 but his close-range shot hit the crossbar and stayed out.

“It’s slight margins in the game but another defeat,” Pardew told Sky Sports before insisting that he expects to stay in the job. “We have to fight. I have to fight, the team has to fight. I’m here to lead the team, and that’s what I’ll do.”

After a shaky start to their campaign with just one win from their opening five games, Monday’s win helped Stoke climb to 11th place with eight points

“We deserved the win on balance of play. In terms of chances created we always looked a threat when we broke quickly with pace,” Stoke manager Mark Hughes told BBC radio.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2014