Mark Hughes wasn’t just paying his player lip-service on Saturday.
“Jon seems to score every time we play in the cups,” the Stoke City manager said after Jon Walters forward scored the decisive goal in his side’s 2-1 win over Doncaster Rovers.
In addition to being a stunning strike, Walters’ goal in the FA Cup third round further enhances his reputation as a player who does his best work in knock-out games.
The goal was his 19th in 30 cup games for Stoke, a brilliant record that is further bolstered when one considers the goals the 32 year old has scored for Ireland in knock-out ties.
The Liverpool native scored twice against Bosnia back in the play-off second leg back in November, securing Ireland’s place in Euro 2016.
Four years earlier he also scored during Ireland’s 4-0 rout of Estonia in the first leg of the play-off to qualify for Euro 2012.
That brings Walters record to 22 goals in 32 knock-out or cup games for club and country over the past few years.
The forward has 37 goals in 191 Premier League matches, but his goal record in cups and knock-out games is further prove that, in high pressure games, he’s a man you want in your team.
