Ryan Shawcross believes simply securing Premier League survival is not good enough and Stoke should strive to finish as high as possible.
Potters skipper wants strong finish to season
Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross believes simply securing Premier League survival is not good enough and the club should strive to finish as high in the table as possible.
The Potters are 10 points clear of the drop zone in the relative safety of 13th place and look well set for a fifth straight season in the top flight.
However, their form has dipped since the turn of the year, winning just two of their last 12 league games, with the latest disappointing defeat coming at the DW Stadium against Wigan on Saturday.
With Tony Pulis' men also dropping out of the FA Cup and Europa League in that time it could be argued that the club have little to play for between now and the end of the season.
Shawcross though is determined to keep the campaign alive and feels the club should be aiming for more than just survival in the top flight.
"I hope it's enough to stay up, but we want to do better than that," the defender told
the Sentinel.
Team spirit
"We have a great team spirit and we all want to win in there.
"We have had a great season so far, but we need to top it off in the last seven games to get as many wins as we can."
Reflecting on the Wigan defeat, which came after battling draws with high-flying Spurs and Manchester City, Shawcross accepted that his side were below par.
"We had good periods in the game, but overall it was a very disappointing performance," he added.
"We have had three or four good performances against big teams and today maybe that showed. We were a bit off it and disappointed with the general performance.
"The manager made it clear that he is very disappointed in all of us.
"All the lads are disappointed too. It is definitely something we have to improve on."
