Stoke City winger Matthew Etherington has thanked manager Tony Pulis for backing him.

A gambling addiction cost the Stoke winger a fortune, and almost cost him his ­career, too.

He said: "Tony Pulis has been brilliant for me. He has shown a lot of faith in me and I'm delighted I have so far been able to repay that faith.

"I don't want to keep going on about what's gone on in the past, I just want to move forward with my life and my career.

"But I will never forget what he did for me, bringing me to the club and helping me develop. He's worked wonders for this club and it is credit to everyone at Stoke City that we are where we are. This is a progressive club.

"We still have a chance at Valencia - I thought we ­deserved a result - but it's important we now focus on a different challenge."