Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has hailed the maturity of keeper Jack Butland to hold his composure following his almost-costly mistake in his side's 1-0 win over Swansea City.
The Potters keeper miscued his clearance in the first half and sent the ball towards the edge of the box. He and Swansea forward Andre Ayew were in a foot race to win possession, but Butland managed to atone for his error by sliding to make the crucial tackle.
The England international conceded that he was fortunate not to be punished for his tackle on Ayew, but Hughes has backed the poise of the 22-year-old to quickly make amends for his near mistake and go on to keep a clean sheet at the Liberty Stadium.
Hughes told The Sentinel: "That goes back to the quality he has in terms of maturity. He's an assured keeper. A young keeper who is maybe not so assured of his own ability could probably be upset by a moment like that and it would affect their game.
"Jack has played a lot of games at a decent level and probably had moments like that in the past. As he gets older, they become fewer and far between. Thankfully, he retrieved the situation with a good tackle in my view, although the Swansea fans thought differently.
"He understands that these things happen and they are highlighted more in the position he plays. But he shrugged his shoulders and carried on with an excellent performance for the rest of the 90 minutes."
Stoke face Watford in the Premier League at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
Simon Sinclair
