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| England No 1 Joe Hart is under pressure from Butland, who's been outstanding for Stoke this season |
WHOEVER England face in France next year they will have a tough job getting past Jack Butland - if he plays, that is.
There's no doubting Stoke's young keeper will be going to the European championships with England. And he proved yesterday just what an able deputy he will be for Joe Hart.
Some of the saves he produced to stop West Ham were of the world class variety, never mind Europe.
Butland and his opposite West Ham number, Adrian, were the star turns in an entertaining game that truly belied that goalless scoreline.
Had it not been for the two them there would probably have been goals galore.
To be honest, Stoke would have been in front early on if Marco van Ginkel hadn't missed a sitter.
The Dutch midfielder, on a season long loan from Chelsea, had the goal at his mercy from about five yards out but somehow managed to miss the target.
Frankly, his granny might have done better!
At the time that would have been an injustice, though, given the number of pot shots West Ham had peppered Butland's goal with early on. But it certainly sparked up Stoke.
They produce some tidy stuff that unsettled the Hammers after that and with Ibrahim Afellay's movement a problem the Potters should probably have been in front at the break.
Mind you, Butland still had to earn his corn at the other end with a couple of timely saves in a first half that was worth the entrance money - for both sets of fans.
West Ham started the second half like they did in the first, but with Andy Carroll as the target route one is often their preferred option - and perhaps a waste of some of the creative talent they have in the team.
Stoke on the other hand kept the ball on the floor. Prettier on the eye and so very different from their days under Tony Pulis.
Even so they had to thank Butland again for keeping West Ham out.
The young England keeper's save was instinctive when Antonio got clear. But it did the business.
How Stoke didn't go in front on 65 minutes, however, was probably just rank bad luck.
No wonder Marco Arnautovic held his head in his hans after seeing his fierce free kick come back off the bar after taking a cruel deflection.
The Austrian, Stoke's hero against Manchester City last week, probably felt cheated at not getting the accolade again yesterday.
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| It was a frustrating afternoon for strikers like Stoke's Mame Biriam Diouf |
The same could be said fior substitute Diouf when he got on the end of a lovely flowing move, only to be denied by Adrian's outstretched legs.
But no doubting that Butland was the hero on the day, despite some of the impressive stuff Stoke served up in front of him.
He could do nothing about a Mauro Zarate cracker that cannoned off the post. But he did produce at least two more superb saves after that - particularly one he tipped over the bar from Enner Valencia's free kick.
Stoke, under the cosh at that point, were puckily resilient to say the least and Adrian at the other end was again called to make it a keepers day.
And a good day it was.
West Ham: Adrian 7; Tomkins 6 Collins 6, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 6; Song 7 (Valencia 63) 7, Kouyate 6, Antonio 7 (Jelavic 83), Noble 6, Zarate 7, Carroll 6.
Stoke City: Butland 8;Johnson 6, Shawcross 7, Wollscheid 7, Pieters 6; Whelan 6, van Ginkel 5 (Diouf 56), Cameron 5 (Adam 68) 6, Afellay 7 (Walters 65) 6, Arnautovic 7, Krkic 7.
Star Man: Jack Butland.
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