Etherington faces final heartache

Etherington was in agony as he went down in the first half

Matthew Etherington could miss the FA Cup final after he went off on a stretcher during Stoke’s 3-0 league win over Wolves on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old winger pulled up with a hamstring injury near the left touchline 30 minutes into the match after he a chase for possession.

“Etherington is a concern,” said Stoke manager Tony Pulis.

“We’re hoping and praying he’ll be fit for the final. He’ll have a scan on the injury on Wednesday.”

Meanwhile, forward Ricardo Fuller is also a doubt for the final on 14 May having suffered an Achilles problem in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.

“Let’s see what the scans say first before we start throwing positives or negatives at it. Then we’ll take a view,” added Pulis.

Stoke midfielder Rory Delap said: “It didn’t look good after the game. We are all devastated if it is what everyone thinks it is.

“You never know with the scan but we are all thinking of him and we know how devastated he is.

“He’s been a big part of this club and it will be devastating if Ricardo misses the final.”