Stoke City have broken a damaging away-day curse with a significant victory at Watford. Their 2-1 win at Vicarage Road on Saturday ended a 12-match winless streak on the road in the league, their worst such run since a 13-game stretch in the Premier League back in April 2018.
The result is doubly important because it also halted a troubling recent pattern against the Hornets. Watford had won four of the previous five home league meetings between the sides, with the other ending in a draw. Stoke's last win at Vicarage Road before this came in March of the previous season, a 3-1 Championship triumph.
Jack McGlynn opened the scoring for Stoke in first-half stoppage time, before Eric Junior Bocat doubled the advantage just before the hour mark. A late Watford consolation could not dampen the significance of the three points. The win lifts Stoke to 10th in the Championship table, with 10 points from their opening seven games. They have scored 11 goals and conceded the same number, leaving them with a neutral goal difference.
The long road back
Prior to this fixture, Stoke had taken just a single point from their three away matches this season. The broader 12-game sequence included three draws and nine defeats, a run that had become a major obstacle to climbing the table. Ending it against a side that had been a recent bogey team makes the achievement more notable.
Stoke's squad depth will be tested ahead of their next match, a home fixture against Sheffield United on 19 September. The club's injuries list currently includes Aaron Cresswell, Ato Ampah, Eric Bocat, Junior Tchamadeu, Svante Ingelsson and Bosun Lawal. Supporters can check the full upcoming fixtures schedule as the team looks to build on this momentum.
