Delap out for remainder of the year

Former Republic of Ireland international Rory Delap faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after breaking his leg in Stoke City's victory over Sunderland on Tuesday night.

Delap joined Stoke on loan from the Black Cats last week and was only playing in the game by the generosity of Roy Keane, who opted against making Delap ineligible for games against Sunderland.

But the 30-year-old was stretchered off with a serious leg injury just 12 minutes into the game at the Britannia Stadium after a solid challenge from Robbie Elliott.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis said: "Elliott is a seasoned pro, he knows Rory and I'm sure the last thing he would have wanted to do was break his leg.

"But it's devastating for Rory. His tibia and fibula have both been broken and I wouldn't even hazard a guess at how long he might be out.

"All of my players came across and saw it and it took the steam out of them. I felt some of them had it on their minds for the rest of the first half. But we had a word at half-time, there was a game to be won and they went out there and won it.

"It's just a pity Rory won't be around for a while because having him and Lee Hendrie on the wings gave us a great balance. Rory Delap had always done a hell of a lot of work which goes unnoticed."