Error: Wasnt his debut...Played vs Spurs
Stoke City: Walters convinced by debut 'goal'
LEADING THE PROTESTS: Jon Walters appeals in vain after what would have been a debut goal is ruled out.
LIKE the rest of us, Jon Walters was convinced he had capped his debut by heading home an equaliser to give Stoke a 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
Sadly the dream lasted as long as it took referee Chris Foy to wave play on after he failed to spot Walters's 90th-minute effort was over the line before it was blocked by Peter Crouch.
"I did score, it's just that it wasn't given," said Walters ruefully.
"It would have been good, but I can't dwell on that. I have to look forward to the next game and hopefully get some goals.
"There should be technology, but that's for the powers-that-be to decide. But there's a lot depending on it and a lot of money in today's game.
"The difference of one point could be massive at the end of the season."
He added: "The lads all thought it was in. The referee looked at the linesman and he didn't give it, but I thought the ref might have been in a position to give it.
"It's unfortunate, but you have swings and roundabouts like this during the season. Hopefully we'll get more than we don't."
Walters certainly deserved a goal after the 26-year-old marked his debut with a hard-working and intelligent performance.
The £3.25m signing from Ipswich played up front alongside Ricardo Fuller before switching to right midfield in the second half – and barely put a foot wrong in either slot.
He hopes he made a positive impression on the fans, having suffered at the Britannia as an opposition player.
He said: "The last time I played here was two years ago and I know it's a place where you want the fans behind you. They make a big difference.
"I was happy to play, but we lost as a team and the most important thing was getting points."
Walters's effort was one of few highlights for Stoke in the first half as they were outplayed, but their impressive efforts after the break were the best they have played in their opening two games.
Walters said: "I thought we deserved a point. We sat off them a bit in the first half and let them play.
"But we got in their faces in the second and we played well. We created a lot of chances and had them on the back foot right to the last minute. We can take that second-half performance into our next few games."
Next stop is Chelsea and then at home to Aston Villa when City will hope they don't come up against the sort of finishing Gareth Bale showed with his stunning volley to put Spurs back in front on 29 minutes.
Walters added: "That will be one of the goals of the season. It was world class. It's not been the best of starts, but we have two tough games coming up and we have to get points on the board as soon as we can."
www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/sport/Stoke-City-Walters-convinced-debut-goal/article-2557467-detail/article.html