Jones hails Stoke spirit

31 December 2012 08:34

Stoke striker Kenwyne Jones has praised his team-mates after they completed a late comeback to draw with Southampton on Saturday.

The Potters trailed 3-1 with 36 minutes on the clock but earned a point thanks to an improved second-half performance and Cameron Jerome's 90th-minute wonder goal.

And Jones, who scored his side's first and played the full game against Nigel Adkins' men, has praised the fight shown by the Staffordshire side.

"We have a spirit here which can never be questioned - in fact, we don't really like to talk about it anymore because it's just standard for us to keep going right until the last kick of the game," he told the club's official website.

"At no point in time did we ever think that we were going to lose the game - It was just a matter of us coming out in the second half and getting the first goal, and then if we did that, going on to grab the second goal.

"Thankfully, we were able to do that, and that is down to the spirit and determination we have. We are proud professional footballers and we know what this football club is all about, so we always keep going until the game is over.

"This is our job, and at no point are we ever going to just stand there and accept defeat. If we go on to lose the game, then we have to accept that, but whilst the game is still going on we will always give everything we have to get something from the game, and that will always be the case."

The Trinidad and Tobago international also looked ahead to the upcoming meeting with reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Tuesday.

"We are doing well, and we have been solid over the past few months or so," he said. "For that, you have to give credit to the team, the fans and the manager, because we are all in this together, and we stand together as one big group.

"Obviously we wanted to win the game today, but getting the point in the way that we have done, and extending our unbeaten run in the process, gives us a lot of confidence going into the Manchester City game.

"The next game is always the most important one, so we will dust ourselves down, get back on to the training pitch and get ready to go to the home of the champions next week. We will go there and give it a go, for sure."