Stoke manager Tony Pulis hopes Ricardo Fuller will hit the goal trail after his solitary strike - his first in the Barclays Premier League this season - was enough to beat Portsmouth at the Britannia Stadium.
In a match of few chances Potters goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen saved Kevin-Prince Boateng's eighth-minute penalty after Rory Delap had kicked Aruna Dindane in the face. Fuller then struck 16 minutes from time with a smart turn and shot from the edge of the penalty area after Matthew Etherington and Dean Whitehead had exchanged passes.
Pulis admitted he was just about to replace Fuller with Tuncay Sanli seconds before. "I'm really delighted I didn't. He looked nervous two weeks ago against Hull and he looked nervous (on Saturday) and I think not scoring a goal has made him a little bit edgy," said Pulis.
"He is a very confident lad and he breeds off his confidence so that will give him a great lift and I'm absolutely delighted with him."
Stoke started slowly and could have been caught cold by the penalty and Pulis admitted he was disappointed with the first-half performance.
"I thought it was as poor as we have played and Thomas (Sorensen) has changed the game with his penalty save," said Pulis, whose side moved up to ninth after the result.
"Saying all that the lads really worked hard and I think we restricted Portsmouth to a couple of long-range shots, I don't think they really created anything else apart from the penalty.
"We were a little bit better in the second half and it was a great three points for us.
"It was a quality goal: a quality move and a quality finish.
"To have played 13 games and got 19 points we are absolutely delighted with."
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