JASON De Vos has one slight regret about choosing to be a Blue rather than a Potter - and that is hurting Stoke boss Tony Pulis' feelings.But, as we know, there is little room for sentiment in football, and De Vos aims to heap more agony on the man who tried to sign him in the summer.

By Derek Davis

JASON De Vos has one slight regret about choosing to be a Blue rather than a Potter - and that is hurting Stoke boss Tony Pulis' feelings.

But, as we know, there is little room for sentiment in football, and De Vos aims to heap more agony on the man who tried to sign him in the summer.

The Canadian was being courted by a number of clubs after he decided to leave Wigan, with Stoke City working hard to try to land their man.

De Vos had little hesitation in joining Town after talking to Stoke and then seeing the Blues' facilities.

He said: “In one way I feel a bit bad because Tony Pulis seemed such a nice guy and came across as a very genuine person, so it was hard to say no to him.

“But, that said, I have no regrets, really. I'm very happy with Ipswich and I know I made the right decision. Even so, I'm glad Stoke are doing well, although that will not be the case on Tuesday after we play them.”

City's Britannia Stadium was labelled the 'Land of the Giants' by Joe Royle last season but De Vos has no doubts the much-improved Blues defence can handle the attacking prowess of Ade Akinbiyi and Gifton Noel-Williams.

He said: “Hopefully, we will be able to deal with that. Getting knocked around is all part of the game and I know Stoke work hard, and pride themselves on their strength.

“They are a big side but I feel we have shown we can handle that.

“We have to roll up our sleeves and get stuck in and make sure we come out on top.

“If we want to stay top of this league we need to go to places like Stoke and beat them.”

Hopefully, Drissa Diallo and Fabian Wilnis will have recovered from knocks picked up in the win over Millwall, and De Vos is looking forward to playing in the same back four for the fourth time in a row.

He said: “It is great to have continuity in the back four. It goes a long way when you have the same three guys alongside you week after week. When you have experience and continuity you can only get better, and I feel that is the way we are going.

“We are top and have not really played as well as I believe we can.”

A huge crowd is expected at the stadium with admission slashed to £5 for all fans.

De Vos is relishing the big-game feeling and added: “I'm sure there will be a great atmosphere. It is a nice place to go and play, with a great stadium, so we will look to get the ball down and play our own kind of game.”

n Two more of Ipswich Town's Reserve matches have been changed. The Blues will now entertain Coventry City Reserves on Monday, January 31 due to both clubs being involved in the Carling Cup. The away game at Arsenal is also subject to change, and will now be played at Barnet's Underhill Ground on Thursday, September 30.