ALEX Neil was thrilled at the way Stoke City hit the ground running with an emphatic demolition of Rotherham.
Maritimo recruit Andre Vidigal was the highlight of the Potters’ six debutants as he capped an impressive display with a brace of goals.
Ki-Jana Hoever, returning for a second loan spell at the club, emphatically volleyed in the opener inside five minutes. Vidigal’s quickfire double in first-half added time then handed Stoke a comfortable lead.
The Millers threatened a comeback when substitute Lee Peltier scored with his first touch straight after the restart. However, Cafu’s red card ended any hope of a Rotherham reprieve and Jacob Brown capitalised to add the hosts’ fourth late on.
“We looked like an exciting team,” Neil said. “We wanted to start the season well because there’s been a lot of optimism and a lot of talk. But the talk was always going to stop, so to win in the manner we did was very pleasing.
This story is from the August 06, 2023 edition of The Football League Paper.
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This story is from the August 06, 2023 edition of The Football League Paper.
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