Mark Hughes praises character shown by Stoke City

Mark Hughes was full of praise for his Stoke City players after seeing them secure a 1-1 draw against Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.

The Potters were dealt a blow late on when Jonathan Walters, who scored Stoke's equaliser at Carrow Road, was shown a red card for a challenge on Alexander Tettey.

Despite conceding that the forward's foot was high in the tackle, Hughes believes that Walters is unlucky to be facing a three-game suspension.

"It was an unfair challenge but both players had their feet high, but Jon has caught him. I don't think the punishment fits the crime," the manager told BBC Sport.

"He is going to miss three games, but it was a bouncing ball and he has caught him and got sent off.

"We had to dig in and make sure we didn't lose the game and I thought we were excellent in making sure we got something out of the game. We have that character and determination and it has helped us get a really important point."

Stoke are 12th in the Premier League following the draw in Norfolk.