Stoke City striker Kenwyne Jones has been braving a personal family tragedy during his recent run without a goal. There have been no details about the tragedy but the £8m record signing's domestic heartache is a concern for Stoke manager Tony Pulis, who said: "It would be unfair to go into detail publicly, but I think people should know Kenwyne has had a lot to contend with off the field in recent times. "It's hit him really hard and he's really been down in the dumps. He's such a lovely guy and that means everything seems to affect him. "But I've had a good chat with him about the situation and I think it's helped him to tell me just how much it's knocked him around.
"I think we'd all love to see him get a goal because he's one of those who can go on a scoring run once he gets one. "And knowing our fans like I do, I know they will stick firmly behind him, particularly knowing he's had a few problems at home." Jones, who has scored once in his last ten games, scored a header which combined with a fluke own goal to give Stoke a 2-0 win over Everton yesterday to end a two-game losing streak at home. Jones scored his sixth goal of the season with a perfectly placed header from inside the penalty area in the 23rd minute. The unlucky Phil Jagielka then scored his second own goal in his last two appearances when the ball bounced off his leg in the area and past goalkeeper Tim Howard in the 69th.