Stoke continued their unbeaten pre-season campaign with a demolition of local non-leaguers Newcastle Town.
The Potters fielded a team of fringe players during the first half and went in at the break 1-0 up thanks to a trialist left winger, named as Australian Robert Stambolziev, who did well to head home a cross from fellow trialist Michael Smith.
The second half saw the Potters stick out the big guns and they took little time adding to the score as a quickfire double from Kenwyne Jones, both set up by strike partner Jon Walters, was followed by an 18 yard striker from Jermaine Pennant. The winger showed great footwork to weave his way through a whole host of dangling legs around the edge of the box before scuffing his shot and then watching it trickle past the keeper and in off the post.
City then added a fifth when Glenn Whelan coolly sidefooted home from fourteen yards after Jones had dummied a Walters square pass inside the area.
The scoring was complete late on when Walters headed a cross up into the air before rising again to nod the ball past the advancing keeper as it dropped 8 yards out.
One slightly worrying sidenote was a back injury to captain Ryan Shawcross but the defender picked himself up off the deck to complete the game.