Mark Robins hails Lamine Cisse’s patience as he ends wait for first league goal

Mark Robins believes Lamine Cisse will reap the rewards of early season patience after his first ever SkyBet Championship goal in Stoke’s 2-1 win over Oxford.

The French star scored an FA Cup stunner against Coventry earlier in the season but had gone more than 1000 minutes and 23 previous games in the league without finding the net.

But Cisse opened his account after 36 minutes and then saw Jesurun Rak-Sakyi head a second after 57 minutes to earn Stoke a first home league win since December 13.

Ciaron Brown’s brilliant volley levelled for relegation-threatened Oxford and Spurs loanee Will Lankshear smashed a close-range shot against the crossbar at 1-1.

Minutes later Crystal Palace loanee Rak-Sakyi headed in Sorba Thomas’ cross and Stoke’s game management was good enough to finally get them over the line.

“He (Cisse) had to wait for a chance at the start of the season because we were playing well,” said Potters boss Robins.

“He looks like he is enjoying himself and he took the goal expertly because he had a lot of time to think about it.

“He put them under pressure and stretched their defenders. So, he was out on his feet at the end.

“We need someone who is lethal and Lamine’s finish was lethal. So, I am pleased for him but we had too many chances going begging.”

Stoke’s first league success since January 3 lifted them up to 13th but they are only seven points adrift of the top six.

“You could see we hadn’t won for a while,” suggested Robins. “It became nervy and it didn’t need to be.

“From our point of view, with the injuries we have, we still haven’t got the changes needed to fresh things up.

“That can hurt you at times but we got it over the line tonight and got the three points.”

Oxford manager Matt Bloomfield believed Lankshear’s near miss and failure not to get a subsequent corner when the ball bounced behind off Thomas were turning points.

“It seemed like a momentum shift,” he agreed. “Matches are sometimes decided by those moments going for you or against you.

“It was frustrating we didn’t get ourselves ahead and to go behind so soon afterwards was disappointing.

“I am not sure how long after that we went behind, it didn’t feel like long in my mind. If that had gone in we would have had something to hold onto.

“It would have been a different game; I am convinced about that. But we have to control the things we can control.

“And if you give away two goals like that you are not going to win games.”