Stoke starting to 'feel like a team' - Phillips

Teenage Spurs loan defender Ashley Phillips has started Stoke's past three games

Stoke City defender Ashley Phillips says the "improving" Potters are starting to really "feel like a team" under new boss Narcis Pelach.

The Potters won on Saturday against Derby County for only the second time since Pelach took charge in September.

Stoke remain frustratingly close to the bottom of the Championship table in their almost perennial 16th place, but teenage on-loan Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Phillips is confident that good times lie ahead.

"It was a big three points," Phillips told BBC Radio Stoke. "And it's been coming for a while.

"Every game we're improving. Even at Southampton (where Stoke lost 3-2 last week in the Carabao Cup) there were positive signs - and we just felt Saturday was a really big day for us.

"There's a lot more togetherness and structure in the group. From where we were a month ago, you can tell the big step-up we've had.

"You can see that on the pitch too. We look more like a team now," he added, before Wednesday's trip back to Ewood Park to face his former club Blackburn Rovers.

Even at just 19, Phillips has extensive knowledge of the Championship, having begun his senior career this time two seasons ago with Blackburn.

His form for Rovers earned him a move to Spurs in the summer of 2023 on a five-year deal, before being signed on loan last season by Plymouth Argyle in January and then by previous Stoke boss Steven Schumacher in August.

But, although he was hampered by a concussion injury early in his time at Stoke and then had to deal with the Potters' unexpected change of manager, Phillips is happy with the way he has made himself feel at home, especially under Pelach.

"I was born in Manchester, which is just up the road," said Phillips. "When I was at Plymouth, I was on the other side of the country, which was difficult.

"But here I feel a lot more comfortable - and I've settled in really quickly. The concussion put me out for a few weeks which was frustrating. But I've done three 90s on the bounce now so I'm feeling a lot better.

"One of my goals was to score, which I did at Southampton. That was my first professional goal - and I'm looking to get more. But the other goal for me is keeping clean sheets and I've got two so far.

"There's a really great feeling about the place - and that's down to the gaffer and the coaching staff. For me, he's a great gaffer. I've learnt a lot from him already."

Ashley Phillips was talking to BBC Radio Stoke sports editor Matt Sandoz

Ashley Phillips got off the mark for Stoke City with his Carabao Cup strike at Southampton last week