Stoke & Staffordshire

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  1. Goalkeeper Jasbir Sing in a green strip with his arms outstretched as team-mates run to celebrate with him

  2. Burton Albion's Mason Bennett

  3. Stoke boss Pelach welcomes back Gooch

    Lynden Gooch pictured in action for Stoke last seasonGetty Images

    Lynden Gooch joined Stoke from Sunderland in September 2023

    Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach has welcomed the return of Lynden Gooch to his squad.

    The USA international defender was an unused substitute in their 2-0 defeat by Burnley on Saturday having been sidelined for nearly two months because of a medial ligament injury.

    "It's good to have another player recover and it's the first time I've seen him training as since I've been here he's been injured," Pelach told BBC Radio Stoke.

    "I'm pleased to have him back and it's good to have another option."

    Pelach is also hopeful of having Sam Gallagher and Bosun Lawal available sooner rather than later.

    Defender Lawal has failed to make a single first team appearance since signing from Celtic in August after a medical revealed he had a stress fracture in his back.

    Meanwhile, forward Gallagher has played only three Championship games after signing from Blackburn Rovers in August before picking-up a calf injury against Swansea in early October.

    "Sam and Bosun are getting close - they're going to do some training with the team but not full training, it will be modified and hopefully we'll have them soon," added Pelach.

  4. Tamworth boss Andy Peaks (right) celebrates with keeper Jas Singh after the penalty shootout win over Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium

  5. Burton Albion captain Elliot Watt points and shouts

  6. A red brick building, which features a large stained-glass window, is overlooking ornamental flowerbeds and lawns. There is a path leading through the flowerbeds up to the building.

  7. Connor Naismith, the Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, wears blue-rimmed glasses and has dark hair, parted on his left side. He has stubble on his chin. He wears a dark blue suit with slight light-blue checks on it with a white shirt and blue tie.

  8. Stafford High Street at night, with trees lit up in Christmas lights, shop windows and bar entrances along the pedestrian area. There are people walking around the town.

  9. Gemma looking into the camera, her hair is tied back and she's wearing a black zip up jumper. Behind her is Bod Cafe and Bar, it's a brown brick building with some pub tables outside. In the far background (on the right) you can see a bit of Newport's high street.

  10. Women practise flamenco dancing. They are wearing black T-shirts and have their hair tied back in ponytails.

  12. Ronan Maher of Tamworth celebrates scoring his team's first goal with team-mate Daniel Creaney

  13. Mavis and Dennis are sitting together, and Dennis has his arm around his wife. He had short white hair and glasses. Mavis has short blonde hair.

  14. Ben Miller, wearing a Santa hat, is holding two of his books whilst sat next to a Christmas tree. One book is entitled Robin Hood aged 10 3/4 and the other book is called The Night I Met Father Christmas.

  15. A flock of swans on flood water covering a riverside road. One of the swans is nearby, looking towards the camera. A stone bridge over the river is in the distance.

  16. A number of women dressed as elves dancing with inflatable candy canes. The canes are white and red while the elf costumes are green and red. There is fake snow appearing from the right of the frame.

  17. A close-up of a car windscreen and it's wipers. The closest wiper is tied to what appears to be a black shoe lace.

  18. An older person's hands are holding onto a light brown wooden walking stick

  19. Two women are standing in a field holding silver trophies. Both have blonde hair, the one on the left has a jacket with a dark centre section and cream sleeves while to our right, the other woman has a black jacket over a black top. They stand in a field with trees behind them and more trees in the distance.

  20. Bill Redston wearing a dark suit

  21. A dumper truck on top of a heap of waste is surround by seagulls. There is blue sky behind the pile of waste.

  22. A woman in a purple padded jacket struggles with a black suitcase in flood-water. The water is up to her ankles as she wades through in wellies with a bag over one shoulder. Behind her is the wall of a house and bushes, with water covering the ground around her

  23. A mugshot of a man with glasses, a nose piercing, a ginger beard and a grey top.

  24. Pelach wants to give Johansson a helping hand

    Stoke City goalkeeper Viktor JohanssonRex Features

    Stoke City head coach Narcis Pelach says the way they defend is the reason they are facing so many shots this season, but would also like to reduce the workload on goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.

    Only Plymouth Argyle (17.6) average more shots conceded than Stoke (15.8) in the Championship but Pelach has revealed it is partly down to the way they approach games.

    "We defend the space rather than the man and when you do that you allow the opposition to have possession in front of you but theoretically it doesn't hurry you because you always have 11 men behind the ball," the Potters head coach told BBC Radio Stoke

    "I prefer this because if you press all the time and go man for man they get more one v ones against your goalkeeper.

    "In the way we defend, we concede more corners than other teams, more shots than others but you always give your goalkeeper a chance to save it."

    As a result, Stoke goalkeeper Johannsson is one of the busiest in the Championship, leading the division for total saves with 67.

    "Viktor is playing really well and that's why I employed (goalkeeping coach) Paul Clements because the way I coach outfield players relates very well to how he coaches the goalkeepers," Pelach added.

    "Everything we do is connected - when the defensive line is doing one thing, Viktor is doing one thing in the goal. No one sees it but it's all connected.

    "I expect a great season for Viktor and he will have to perform because we concede shots - I want to concede fewer but it takes time and it will go down step by step."

    Stoke are at home to promotion chasing Burnley in the Championship on Saturday.