During Stoke’s 3-2 victory against Bristol City, former Sunderland full-back Lynden Gooch was taken out with a hamstring injury at halftime.
With Nathan Lowe’s first senior goal for The Potters in the 89th minute, Alex Neil’s team overcame a two-goal deficit to snap a five-match losing streak in the Championship.
Junior came on for one of his first games at this level because Lynden Gooch was having hamstring trouble, according to Neil after the game.
Gooch joined Stoke on transfer deadline day from Sunderland and has already started four straight league games for Stoke as well as a Carabao Cup encounter against Bournemouth.
Despite his setback due to injury, the full-back posted on social media after the victory over Bristol City, saying, “Up the Potters.”
In their penultimate game before the international break in October, Stoke will play at Leicester on Saturday following the Southampton encounter.
When the Championship season begins on Saturday, October 21, Neil’s team will then host Sunderland.
For the game against Bristol City, Andre Vidigal, Enda Stevens, Ryan Mmaee, and Tyrerse Campbell were also absent for Stoke.
If any of the aforementioned players could play against Southampton on Tuesday, Neil said, “I doubt it.”
Mehdi Leris, who had started the game as a centre forward, moved to right back, Jordan Thompson, a midfielder, to left back, Junior Tchamadeu, a right back for Stoke, started as a left back, and Luke McNally, who had been called up, played centre half in an improvised defence as a result.
Michael Rose at centre back, Enda Stevens on the left (calf), and Lynden Gooch on the right (hamstring) were already on the sidelines. Stoke is hoping that at least one of Rose or Gooch, who both hobbled out of last weekend’s victory at Bristol City, will be deemed fit for Saturday’s away game against Leicester City.
When Lewis Baker and Emre Tezgel suffered severe knee and quad injuries in the preseason, the treatment room slowly began to fill up around them. The front line that Stoke may have selected in the first place, consisting of Ryan Mmaee, Andre Vidigal, and Tyrese Campbell, is all injured. Mmaee (hamstring) has missed seven and a half games, while Vidigal, who had an ankle injury against Millwall in late August, has only played roughly 80 minutes in the previous eight games. On September 27, during the opening moments of a game against Hull, Campbell suffered a hamstring injury that will likely keep him out for a few more months.
In addition to Baker and Tezgel, Neil noted that we were missing six more guys. Campbell, Mmaee, and Vidigal make up our whole frontline but are not available. Natural left-back Enda Stevens, who has a strong left foot, is out. We lose Ben first, then Ki-Jana, then Gooch and Rose are missing. Yes, it is difficult.
Stoke has looked into the free agency market to increase their numbers in specific positions, but as no moves were completed in the week after deadline day, they have appeared doubtful. In view of the existing backlog to visit the physios, it is unclear if they will take another look at that route.
