Mark Robins asks for big push from Stoke over run-in after another home win

Stoke boss Mark Robins expressed his satisfaction after watching his side return to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Sky Bet League One‑bound Sheffield Wednesday at the bet365 Stadium.

Goals either side of half‑time from Jesurun Rak‑Sakyi and Lamine Cisse secured only Stoke’s third win in their last 14 Championship matches.

Robins said: “I was happy enough with the performance. I was pleased with the three points and the clean sheet. We scored two goals of good quality.

“When you lose a game like we did last time out, you need to go and win and turn it around and score some goals and play properly and well. Mostly we did OK. We gave too many balls away and gave them too many opportunities later on in the game and that’s a consequence of what we have got available at the moment and where everybody is at with their recovery from injury or coming back from international games.

“There wasn’t enough speed and movement in there but the three points are most welcome. That’s three points more than we had in the whole of last season and there are six games left. We talk about incremental improvement and it’s there for everybody to see.

“While we’re not singing from the rooftops about it, it’s something you can tangibly get hold of and we want to try and pick up as many points as we can from the last 18 and see where that takes us.”

The win lifted Stoke back into the top half of the table and marked the first time they have recorded back‑to‑back home victories since early November.

Robins added: “We’re 12th in the division at the moment and we’ve got some tough games coming up but we’ve got players coming back. If I can keep them going in the right direction so they’re getting stronger and fitter day by day, let’s see where we can get to.”

For already‑relegated Wednesday, the defeat extended their winless league run to 34 matches. The club, in administration since October as they await a potential takeover, have not tasted victory since September.

Head coach Henrik Pedersen took encouragement from his side’s second‑half display.

“We changed a few things at half‑time,” he said. “We played less direct. The boys tried to give it a go in the second half. We were the better team in the last 30 minutes. The subs helped us a lot when they came on.”

Pedersen also praised the 3,200‑plus Wednesday supporters who backed the team throughout.

“They are with us in every game,” he said. “Before we go on the pitch in every game, we want to make them proud. We cannot expect to win all six of the remaining games but we will give everything that we can on the pitch. We will show who we are and we must stand up for each other. This is what the boys and the coaching staff are trying to do every day.”

Wednesday, still without a home win all season and sitting on minus six points, host struggling Leicester on Easter Monday.

Pedersen said: “I have a big belief in my players and I have a big belief that we can win a game again and I have a big belief that we can do it on Monday. I see how hard the team work every day in training. I see the culture and how they are standing up for themselves.

“I have a big belief that we can surprise in one or two games and do something. We all want to invest to come onto plus points and to get the next win.”