Jonathan Walters won’t have to buy a pint in Ireland for quite some time.
The Stoke forward’s brace in Ireland’s home leg of the play-offs sent the Republic through to next summer’s Euro 2016 and catapulted himself to hero status on our tiny island.
But club manager Mark Hughes wasn’t the least bit surprised at the sublime performance put in by Walters on Monday evening and explained how his player’s suspension for the first leg is to thank for his showing in the second.
“He was biding his time,” Hughes said. “Kicking his heels in the first game. He wanted to play in that but wasn’t allowed to.
“I think all that pent-up frustration he brought to bear on the second leg. He made a huge impact, with not only his goals but his performance as well.”
And the Potters boss revealed that Walters was still full of that excited energy when he returned to training at Clayton Wood this week.
Hughes said: “He was obviously bounding into training today with a real spring in his step, along with all the other Irish guys.
“We are delighted. It is no coincidence, Jon’s form has been excellent. That spring in his step, that was also to do with him knowing where he is going to be for the next two or three years.
“That continuity that he knows he will have now, that enables him to perform at the right level. Ireland certainly benefited from that and I think we will benefit from that in the future.”
