The Potters picked up a superb three points at the Hawthorns to edge the side to within 2 points of the play-off places.

City boss Tony Pulis rung the changes before the game with Dominic Matteo replacing the injured Darel Russell in midfield, Mamady Sidibe returning to the side at the expense of Jon Parkin and Carl Dickinson coming in at left back.

And it was Matteo's midfield partner John Eustace who had the first real chance of the game after only 4 minutes. Eustace's shot from the edge of box whistled past the post following a poor clearance from a Liam Lawrence corner.

The home side then enjoyed a good period of possession but were limited to long range efforts with strikes from Kevin Phillips and Jason Koumas both failing to hit the target.

It was then that City enjoyed a wonderful 8-minute spell that shellshocked the home side and had the visiting supporters dancing with joy.

With fourteen minutes gone, a miss-kick by Albion defender Sam Sodje allowed Ricardo Fuller to break forward, hold off the pursuing Paul Robinson and beat 'keeper Kiely with a fantastic volley from 15 yards to open the scoring.

Scenes of jubilations were briefly short-lived though with the news of an injury to Sidibe, who after lengthy treatment had to leave the pitch on a stretcher. The Malian striker suffered a huge gash on the achilles that would later require ten stitches.

Pulis opted to replace Sidibe with Jon Parkin, and the on-loan striker had a big part to play in the Potters' second goal.

A flick-on by Parkin had Fuller pursuing Sodje down the left flank and after out-muscling the defender, the Jamaican crossed a dangerous ball into the box where ex-Manchester United midfielder Jonathan Greening bundled the ball past his own keeper under heavy pressure from Parkin.

2-0 up after twenty minutes and the Potters weren't finished there. Two minutes later the visiting team stunned the home support again by grabbing a third. The home side lost possession on the edge of the City box and the ever-dangerous Fuller latched onto a clearance from Carl Dickinson. Fuller charged past Sodje and squared for Parkin to make it two goals in two games with a first time effort from 12 yards out, much to the delight of the City faithful behind the goal.

The Baggies were obviously feeling the pressure and Phillips was booked shortly after for an unnecessary foul on Liam Lawrence. More long range efforts on goal were made but Koumas, Coren & Chaplow all failed to test Steve Simonsen in the City goal.

The Stoke rear-guard did become a little more anxious however when a Nathan Ellington strike crashed against the crossbar and Simonsen was tested with a Koumas free-kick.

In the 42^nd minute, Higginbotham was controversially booked when Phillips went down under pressure on the edge of the penalty area. Greening's free-kick was deflected out for a corner and the Baggies failed to capitalise on another opportunity to leave them hearing a chorus of boos from the home fans as the half-time whistle blew.

A clearly unhappy Tony Mowbray made wholesale changes at half-time with Sodje, Phillips and Greening all being replaced during the break.

The City defence naturally had to withstand a lot of pressure in the second half, and the Baggies thought they'd pulled one back after 10 minutes of the restart when a Robert Koren piledriver was only parried away by Simonsen and substitute Jared Hodgkiss headed into an empty net. The offside flag was to save the Potters on this occasion, however.

On-loan midfielder Lee Hendrie replaced Jon Parkin after 66 minutes, and although Hendrie was subject to a chorus of boos from the home fans due to his Aston Villa connections, Parkin was to receive a standing ovation by the visiting supporters.

Fuller was then left to play as a loan-striker as City looked to shut-up-shop and grab opportunities that may arise on the break. It looked as though the Potters would withstand all the pressure thrown at them and leave with a clean sheet, but a Jason Koumas effort was unluckily deflected past Simonsen by Danny Higginbotham.

Subsitute Darren Carter may have got another back for the home side with fifteen minutes remaining but his curling left foot strike was well saved by the City 'keeper.

There was little more to be done by either 'keeper then until Albion's final effort in the dying seconds of the game, which was again stopped comfortably by Simonsen.

Stoke rode out the remaining moments and picked up a fantastic result that moves them above Cardiff and into 8^th place, just two points adrift of Southampton in sixth ahead of Monday's game with Crystal Palace.

WEST BROM 1 Koumas (74)

STOKE CITY 3 Fuller (14), Greening Own Goal (20), Parkin (22)