And the after-match quotes...
Tony Pulis insisted Stoke still have a mountain to climb if they want to return to the top flight of English football for the first time in 23 years.
An outstanding goal from Liam Lawrence, his fourth in as many games and 13th of the season, kept City perched proudly at the top of the Championship as they saw off Ipswich 1-0.
And the momentum is very much behind Pulis' side, who have been beaten only once in 18 league games and have taken maximum points from their last five.
But he warned: "I've been in the game for too long to get too excited yet. This is a tough league and there is still a quarter of the season to go.
"If we treat the last 12 games any differently than we have the first 34, we will end up with our pants pulled down and have our backsides slapped. ;D
"The players are working exceptionally hard and we have got to keep that up until the last ball is kicked. The back four will get a lot of credit for the clean sheet, but the four midfield players in front of them were fantastic.
"Liam's goal was a cracker and fit to grace any game. I was right behind the flight of the ball and as soon as he pulled the trigger I knew it was going in. He's on fire at the moment."
Ipswich coped well early on and could have taken a 22nd-minute lead when Alan Lee spooned his close-range shot too high after latching onto a lay-off by Jon Walters.
But Stoke gradually cranked up the pace and Stephen Bywater saved from Rory Delap and Glenn Whelan before Lawrence broke the deadlock with his 42nd-minute stunner.
The ball ran nicely into his path after Dan Harding attempted to clear Mamady Sidibe's flick and Lawrence unleashed a 25-yard shot, which tore into the top right-hand corner of Bywater's net.
Ipswich manager Jim Magilton was ordered to the stands 13 minutes into the second half after an angry confrontation with referee Mike Jones.
But Stoke continued to do most of the talking on the pitch as a tackle by Tommy Miller halted a lung-bursting run from Ricardo Fuller, then Sidibe twice went close to adding a second.
Magilton used all three of his substitutes in an attempt to find a way back, but the home defence was not seriously troubled apart from one flying save by Steve Simonsen to deny Velice Sumulikoski.
Magilton said: "We defended very well and we were competitive throughout, but we just didn't have enough quality in the final third.
"We passed the ball well and retained possession at times, but our midfield players weren't as positive as they have been and that was disappointing."
Magilton revealed he was sent away from his dugout after complaining about Stoke's multi-ball system, which he said favoured the home side.
He added: "The ball wasn't coming back in quickly enough as we chased the game. I explained this to the referee in a calm and controlled manner, but he didn't do anything about it.
"I just don't think it's fair and something needs to be done about it. It wouldn't happen at Ipswich because I think we do things properly."
Poor Jim!