Ben Wilmot issues six-word verdict after Stoke City's draw at Middlesbrough | OneFootball

Ben Wilmot praised his teammates as they continued their impressive form with a 1-1 draw at in-form Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.

Alex Neil’s side made the trip to Teesside on the back of successive victories where they had scored eight goals, so confidence was high. Nevertheless, they were still outsiders considering Boro are pushing for promotion and are the form team in the division over the past few months.

So, when Chuba Akpom gave the hosts the lead, it seemed as though it could be a long night for the Potters, but they equalised before the break through Ki-Jana Hoever, who got his third goal in two games.

As the game progressed, Stoke became the more dominant side, and they did have chances to pick up the points and inflict a shock defeat on Boro, but it ended all square.

And, taking to Twitter, Wilmot sent a short message to the support which gave his thoughts on the draw.

“Well earned point on the road.”

The 23-year-old played the full 90 minutes against Boro after missing the previous game against Blackburn, and he put in an assured display in central defence alongside Manchester United loanee Axel Tuanzebe.

Given the way they played, the pair are likely to be in the XI once again on Saturday when Neil comes up against former club Norwich City at the Bet365 Stadium.

The verdict

Wilmot has been a regular for Stoke since he joined, so he will have been disappointed to miss out against Blackburn through injury, but Neil showed his faith in the former Watford man by bringing him back into the side.

Overall, it was an excellent team display from the Potters when you consider Boro are flying high right now, with Wilmot and Tuanzebe looking very good at the back.

After a tough few months, the last few games have offered real promise for Stoke moving forward and even though they don’t have much to play for in terms of staying up or going down, the group will be fighting to be part of Neil’s plans in the future.