Source: Team_Talk
Kemp: Potters aiming high
Stoke assistant manager Dave Kemp believes the club is moving in the right direction to emulate their League Cup glory days of the past.[LNB] A Potters side showing seven changes from the one which played against West Ham in the Premier League booked a place in the last 16 of the Carling Cup by overcoming Fulham 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium.[LNB]The Staffordshire outfit have made major strides in recent years and Kemp feels they now have a squad which makes them genuine contenders again for the cup they won in 1972.[LNB]"We want to do well. This club has a history in this competition and people around here are very proud of it," Kemp said.[LNB]"It is about time - we can do something about it. We're back in the top flight in the Premier League and we want to be good enough that we can maybe win competitions.[LNB]"I am not saying we are going to, but we are moving that way and moving the club forward inch by inch. Hopefully we are going to get into a position where we can compete for trophies."[LNB]A header from Danny Higginbotham gave the Potters the lead in the 23rd minute, the defender arriving at the far post to convert Matthew Etherington's corner.[LNB]Kenwyne Jones then wrapped up the win with 11 minutes of normal time remaining, rising to nod home Rory Delap's throw-in.[LNB]It was Jones' third goal in his last three games and Kemp hailed the impact the Trinidadian - signed for a club-record £8million in August - has made.[LNB]"He has been excellent since he has been here," Kemp said.[LNB]"He has scored three goals, held the ball up brilliantly, brought other players into play and he has given us something that we didn't have before. He has done very well."[LNB]Fulham boss Mark Hughes - who was left fuming at a challenge in the closing stages on Moussa Dembele by Andy Wilkinson which saw the Cottagers striker carried off on a stretcher - felt his side did not do enough to trouble the hosts.[LNB]"For long periods we had decent enough possession without really having that devilment and single-mindedness in the opposition's box - in fairness, in both boxes," Hughes said.[LNB]"At times our defending and our attacking play was naive and as a consequence Stoke, in key areas of the field, were able to dominate us.[LNB]"In general play I thought we were okay up to a point, but we didn't really create enough clear-cut chances to put Stoke under pressure."[LNB]Hughes revealed that goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer had admitted he was at fault for Stoke's first goal, although the manager thought his team had failed in general to deal with set-pieces.[LNB]"He has held his hand up. I think he actually called for the ball so a number of players around him did not challenge for it and he has misjudged the flight," Hughes said.[LNB]"He put his hand up for that, but he couldn't do anything about the second one because we lost the marker in the box.[LNB]"You talk about set-plays when you come to somewhere like Stoke and you have deal with them - unfortunately we didn't."
