Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross refused compassionate leave and skippered the Potters to a 1-1 draw with West Ham on Monday just 24 hours after the unexpected loss of his father.
Stoke were more than willing to allow the 30-year old time off to grieve but he was adamant he wanted to play in the game at the London Stadium.
Shawcross has a truly special connection with Stoke and showed what a consummate professional he is in getting on with his job despite his bereavement.
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His manager, Paul Lambert, showered him with praise for doing so.
"I found out the day before the game that something catastrophic had happened and his performance on Monday night epitomised what this club is built on," Lambert said, as per Stoke Sentinel.
"I said to him after that his mum and dad would've been proud of him for what he did there. He wanted to play in the game. We had one or two little chats the night before.
"It probably caught up with him a day later or so. For someone to go through that and play like he did was unbelievable."
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Shawcross is on course to receive quite the reception at the Bet365 stadium for tomorrow's game against Burnley and deservedly so.
What a hero.
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