The Swedish striker has had to be patient in waiting for a chance to show what he can do while on loan at the Potters, but Mark Hughes sent him on just after the hour mark with Stoke trailing to a Bradley Johnson goal.
Guidetti put in a lively display and made the crucial contribution within ten minutes, felled by Sebastian Bassong in the area as the defender desperately tried to halt his progress. Jonathan Walters dispatched the spot kick but was shown a red card shortly afterwards, and it was the unlucky Guidetti who was sacrificed after just 17 minutes on the pitch as Hughes sought to preserve the point.
Great point happy 2 help the team unlucky with the red card but we keep going thanks 2 the fans for the support !
— John Guidetti (@superguidetti) March 8, 2014
The 21-year-old will hope to win more chances up front for Stoke in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere, Emyr Huws returned to club action after making his senior international debut to play 90 minutes in Birmingham’s loss to QPR. His side fell victim to two Ravel Morrison strikes, but Emyr was only denied a goal himself due to a brilliant block from R’s keeper Rob Green.
The midfielder has been shining in the Midlands and took that form in the Wales clash with Iceland in midweek, playing all 90 minutes as the Welsh triumphed 3-1.
Manager Chris Coleman was certainly impressed with what he saw, telling Sky Sports: ”He’s not shy, Emyr. He’s been a joy as well to have in the camp.
“He’s done very, very well with Geraint Williams in the under 21s and I speak with Lee Clark at Birmingham City who said he’s being doing fantastic.
“I had no qualms about putting him in. He’s a confident boy. He fits in with the way we want to play, he’s got a lovely left foot.
“He worked incredibly hard to win the ball back for us tonight and I thought he showed maturity in his positional play. Good for him, he deserved the chance and he took it.”
Last night was a magical moment for me, worked almost all my life for it! Thanks for the support and kind messages. Truly blessed 🙏 #debut
— Emyr Huws (@EmyrHuws1) March 6, 2014Albert Rusnak was not involved in Birmingham’s clash with QPR as he remains on the sidelines with a groin problem.
Karim Rekik also made his senior international debut after catching the eye on a season long loan to PSV. The defender is one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Dutch side, and his manager, Phillip Cocu said he expected the call:“Karim is a very important player for PSV. I am not surprised at all he has been included in the Dutch squad.”
The defender came on as a sub as the Netherlands succumbed to a 2-0 loss against France, and returned to Eredivisie duty at the weekend, when he was part of a PSV defence that kept a clean sheet as the team ran out 1-0 winners over Utrecht.
EDS midfielder George Evans returned to action after a foot injury to play the first 86 minutes of Crewe Alexandra’s 4-2 loss to Peterborough. The Alex remain rooted in the relegation places, but will be encouraged by the fact that just three points separate them from Bristol City, five places clear of the drop zone.
The Railwaymen are back in action on Tuesday night when they take on Walsall.
There was FA Cup disappointment for Gareth Barry this weekend after his Toffees side were defeated 4-1 by Arsenal. Unfortunately for the midfielder, he gave away the penalty from which Mikel Arteta scored the second goal for the Gunners, and he will be aiming to put things right when Everton return to Premier League action at the weekend.
Scott Sinclair was not involved as West Brom fell 3-0 to Manchester United at the Hawthorns, a result which leaves the Baggies hovering just above the relegation zone on goal difference, after Cardiff won at Fulham.
