Stoke City manager Gary Rowett has jumped to the defence of forward Benik Afobe after his side's 0-0 draw away at Nottingham Forest at the weekend, as reported by the Stoke Sentinel.

Afobe was subject to arguably the most controversial moment of the encounter at the City Ground - he raced onto a Ryan Woods through ball in the first-half, rounded Reds' keeper Costel Pantilimon, and went down after contact with the Romanian.

Referee Oliver Langford waved away protests from the former Wolves forward however, after the 25-year old looked certain to score.

After the game, Rowett said: "Benik tried to jump to avoid contact, but there was contact and he hasn't dived."

"Maybe he should have dived! You're damned if you do and damned if you don't."

"The sending off could well have changed the course of the game," Rowett added.

Afobe has found it tough in front of goal this season since his arrival from Wolves - the 25-year old hasn't found the net in eight games and has netted just five goals in nineteen appearances this term.

The Verdict

After looking at the footage it does look like a blatant foul and a red card for Pantilimon, but sometimes the luck just isn't with you when the chips are down.

Looking back at Stoke's performance, they need to start improving, and fast.