Stoke City supporter comments on the “devastating” loss, saying, “Have to step up.”

Stoke City have been handed another blow following an underwhelming start to the campaign.

Despite a summer makeover and a strong start to the season, Stoke City has fallen short of expectations in the Championship.
Ben Wilmot, the team’s standout defender, suffered a serious knee injury that has hindered the team’s prospects of winning.
Wilmot’s absence is particularly crucial for Stoke City because of their shallow defense depth; the squad will need to improve in order to make up for it.
The ‘Terrace Talk’ series from Football League World features the views of our FLW Fan Pundits on a variety of topics, including teams, players, managers, possible signings, breaking news, and more.

Following a summer revamp that saw 19 players join the team in an attempt to solve their Championship problems, Stoke City has fallen short of the expectations of many.

Since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, the Potters have been mired in the bottom half of the division; their best result in the second tier since their return was a pair of 14th-place finishes two years ago.

With three victories from their first four games across all competitions, many believed they had turned the corner this time around. However, injury concerns have been the main issue for Alex Neil’s new-look team as they have struggled to adjust to the task at hand.

Victories against Rotherham United, Watford and Bristol City have kept the Staffordshire outfit’s head above water while an injury to star defender Ben Wilmot has only hampered their chances as they welcome Sunderland and Leeds United to town following the international break.

What is the latest on Ben Wilmot’s injury?

With 84 appearances in the last three seasons since his arrival, the former Watford and Swansea City defender has been a bright spot in the Stoke backline. He is a recognizable face in a freshly redesigned squad.

But due to a knee injury he suffered in the 1-0 loss to Southampton, the 23-year-old will miss three months of play.

He joins an injury list that seems to go on forever, with players like Ki-Jana Hoever, Lynden Gooch, Michael Rose, and Andre Vidigal possibly returning for the Sunderland match, as well as Tyrese Campbell, Lewis Baker, Enda Stevens, and Ryan Mmaee working their way back to full fitness.

How significant is Wilmot’s absence for Stoke City?

While a key performer in his own right, the aforementioned Rose’s return is now more important than ever with the Potters light on numbers at the back.

Luke McNally has been a mainstay in the backline amid the injury chaos while short-term experienced signing Ciaran Clark joins the fold for defensive numbers with the former Newcastle United and Aston Villa defender likely needed in the near future.

Stoke City fan pundit, Ben Rowley, meanwhile, believes the Potters will need to step up the level of performances in the wake of the disappointing news.

“It’s absolutely devastating for a couple of reasons,” he remarked in an exclusive interview with Football League World. First of all, even though we had two healthy defenders for the Leicester game, we still need defensive cover, so we had to add Ciaran Clark to fill the void.

“Secondly, throughout the past year or two, Wilmot has perhaps been our most reliable and productive player.

“Stoke haven’t been playing well as it is, to lose our best defender is a really big blow and I don’t know how the other guys are going to do in his place but Stoke are going to have to step up, and they’re really going to struggle without him.”