the Premier League game between Stoke City and Sunderland at the Brittannia Stadium on Saturday Aug 29, 2009.
Dave Kitson completed his transformation from zero to hero by scoring his first Premier League goal in Stoke City colours to earn his side victory over Sunderland at the Britannia Stadium.
Some 13 months after he joined Stoke from Reading in a £5.5-million deal only to be deemed surplus to requirements by manager Tony Pulis last January and sent back on loan to the Madejski Stadium, the 29-year-old struck his first top-flight goal since May 2008 to humble big-spending Sunderland.
As well as the winner, the outstanding Kitson, who opened his Stoke goal-scoring account in the midweek Carling Cup win over Leyton Orient, enjoyed a standing ovation when he was withdrawn from the action after an overall display that bodes well for his prospects of making his mark despite the arrival of Tuncay Sanli from Middlesbrough.
He broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute in his 19th Stoke appearance when Liam Lawrence's corner was cleared by Nosworthy only as far as Higginbotham who nodded the ball back into the penalty box where Lee Cattermole and Jones failed to take advantage of opportunities to clear before Kitson volleyed home in the middle of an overcrowded penalty area.
Earlier, England hopeful Darren Bent wasted the first opening of the game after 12 minutes when he was sent clear by Steed Malbranque but hesitated as he raced in on goal and saw his low shot blocked by Abdoulaye Faye.
The former Tottenham player, booed by home supporters for rejecting a move to the Potteries, should have redeemed himself three minutes later when he was teed up by Kenwyne Jones but was denied by the sliding Danny Higginbotham.
Stoke's main threat was posed by Rory Delap's trademark long throws that regularly caused consternation in the Sunderland defence.
The corners of Matt Etherington and Liam Lawrence had a similar effect, leaving goalkeeper Craig Gordon looking particularly uncomfortable.
Then again he might have looked more convincing had Faye and Ryan Shawcross been protecting him rather than Nyron Nosworthy - in for Stoke-bound Danny Collins - and Anton Ferdinand who both inadvertently invited Stoke to take the lead with weak headers back to their colleague who denied Kitson and then Lawrence.
When Bent finally got the better of his markers following skipper Lorik Cana's pass, he curled a 20-yarder just beyond Thomas Sorensen's post two minutes before Kitson struck.
Lawrence almost doubled the lead two minutes after half-time but his 18-yard volley was acrobatically cleared off the line by Phil Bardsley and then Kitson sent Ricardo Fuller through only to see his rising shot tipped over by Gordon.
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