Gary Rowett has admitted fortune favoured his Stoke City side last night as they beat Swansea City 1-0 in the battle of the two relegated sides.

In a game which saw the visitors have more shots on target, it was a former Swansea City player who settled it. Joe Allen grabbed the winning goal against his old side to condemn them to defeat.

Ryan Woods, heavily linked with Swansea in the summer, put in a super display too to ensure that Rowett's side took all three points and climb to 14th in the table.

However, the Potters boss admits that lady luck was smiling down on his side for the winning goal when speaking to the Stoke Sentinel after the game.

“It was a gift from heaven because it looked offside," he said of Allen's 57th minute strike. "Benik looked offside, so we’ve had a bit of fortune, but if you discount the goal we’ve had the three clearest chances and started to create some opportunities late on."

The win dropped Swansea to 12th, but still only three points from second place in an eagerly contested Championship table.

The Verdict

It's an honest assessment of the goal from Rowett, it did look offside and the linesman hasn't spotted it. That is football though, sometimes you get the breaks and sometimes you don't.

Stoke have struggled since falling out of the Premier League, but they're finding some form now and as players such as Ryan Woods settle, you couldn't bet against them being top six come the end of the season.