James Beattie admits he's been blown away by the atmosphere at Stoke City's Britannia stadium.

The January arrival from Sheffield United told The Sun: "I had played at the Brit before for Sheffield United and I was on the receiving end of the fans that night - which wasn't very nice.

"I'm fortunate now to be on the ]right side of them. Against Manchester City in my first game, it was amazing how they really turned up the volume.

"I felt like I needed to go over to the bench and ask to have some earplugs because the crowd were deafening me.

"It is that bad, or good, depending on which side you are on. We only had 10 men and they just carried us that game.

"It's brilliant for us and we really enjoy it but it's not so good for the opponents."