Stoke boss Tony Pulis has wished Swindon well in their continuing Capital One Cup campaign after his side’s shock defeat to the Robins last night.

The Potters were stunned at the Britannia Stadium by their npower League One opponents, who went 2-0 up in the first half thanks to a double from James Collins.

The Barclays Premier League outfit managed to force extra time through goals from Kenwyne Jones and Jon Walters, but Swindon were not to be denied in the additional period, Aden Flint making it 3-2 before Collins responded to Peter Crouch’s equaliser by completing his hat-trick and a dramatic 4-3 victory with a minute of the contest remaining.

That second-round triumph followed the Robins’ impressive 3-0 home win over Championship side Brighton in round one, while in the league, their record so far this term shows two wins and a draw with no goals conceded.

Following on from their promotion to the third tier as League Two champions last season, Swindon’s success under manager Paolo Di Canio – who was appointed to the post in the summer of 2011 – shows no sign of letting up and Pulis hopes to see the Italian and his team keep making good progress.

“People talk about him as a player, and he was an outstanding player with a very fiery temper,” Pulis said.

“He still has that fire in his belly and good luck to him. I hope they get a good draw (in the third round) – they deserve one.”

Pulis’ own team finished the match with 10 men after substitute Jamie Ness had to be withdrawn during extra time due to a groin injury, but the Welshman was not looking to make excuses.

Stoke were often sloppy at the back, with Collins’ first goal being gifted to him when Potters goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen fumbled a cross, and Pulis said: “In the first half we were right off the pace – I thought we were very poor and didn’t play with any energy, just waiting for things to happen.

“I thought they (Swindon) were fantastic – that they really smelt it, took the game to us and could have scored more than two goals, although having said that, we have missed three or four great chances ourselves.

“In the second half we livened up a bit, got the first goal and I thought then that we would go on and win the game. Getting the second, you are just waiting for it to happen, but then unfortunately Ness went off, we were down to 10 men, got stretched and they got a goal from a set play.

“There was a mistake by Thomas Sorensen, and set-plays for their first three goals, which is poor from our point of view.”

Di Canio was bursting with pride after the final whistle and rated the performance as one of the best in Swindon’s history, but he was also quick to warn his team of the need to remain focused for the challenges ahead.

Reflecting on the Robins’ campaign so far, Di Canio said: “What we have achieved straight away this year, compared to start of last season, is something amazing, because it is a new league, we won 3-0 against Brighton at home and now we have won 4-3 against Stoke.

“But this is not our maximum. My worry is that after this game, the players might think they can do what they want.

“Only if we maintain this desire, discipline and quality can we do something good.”

Di Canio was seen literally giving Collins a kick up the backside after he scored his second goal, something the Italian explained was part of his efforts to keep his players’ minds concentrated.

“I know how to encourage my players not to give up,” Di Canio said.

“I was sure that maybe if I didn’t give him a kick in his bottom, in the first few minutes he would go blurry with excitement about the two goals.

“I know my chickens – I call my young players chickens – and I have to let them understand.

“This was my way – to kick his bottom and say do not relax or switch off because we will be in trouble.”

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