Beattie made a £3.5 million switch to the Potters and yesterday scored his sixth goal in 10 games for Tony Pulis's side in a vital 2-0 win at bottom-placed West Brom.

It sealed Stoke's first away success of the campaign and pushed them six points clear of the relegation zone and Newcastle, who they take on next weekend.

Goalkeeper Sorensen told PA Sport: "It is great to have someone who can score goals. James has been in great form. That is what you need. You need good defending and you need the people up front to score goals.

"That is the difference between us and West Brom. They play some good football but leak too many goals and haven't scored enough - and that is credit to the way we have played.

"He has made an instant impact. We knew what we were getting when we bought him. It was a great spot by the manager and give him some credit.

"He is a proven player and that is what you need, someone who can come in who takes responsibility and gives you crucial goals and he has done that.

"He was in the Championship and maybe people were saying his best years were behind him - but they say that about a lot of people.

"Sometimes when you are given a chance you need to take it and he has definitely taken his chance, and hopefully he will grab a few more goals before the end of the season."

Midfielder Liam Lawrence echoed Sorensen's sentiments and said: "James has been massive for us. If we stay up it is going to be £3.5 million, peanuts, well spent.

"He is on fire. He was playing in the Championship but he is proven in this league and he went down to Sheffield United and he was still getting 20 goals a season.

"He has come back and I think he will get double figures for us before the end of the season. He has been fantastic.

"A player sometimes takes a bit of time to settle but he has done fantastically and if he keeps things going, we have got every chance of doing that."

Sorensen praised the fighting qualities showed by Stoke in becoming the last team in the four divisions to register an away win this season.

He said: "We had to stand up as men and get off to a good start because I think that has been the problem away from home. We've always been on the back foot and let the other team take control.

"We took control, got an early goal, and it gave everyone some belief, and through the game we could control it a bit more and sit back.

"West Brom do leave a lot of space behind with the many men they push forward and that is when we got the chances, and a quick goal in the second half settled the nerves a bit.

"We are on 35 points and I think a couple of wins from now on should be enough, but there are still a lot of games to be played."

Baggies defender Jonas Olsson insisted Tony Mowbray's side would not throw in the towel despite their apparently hopeless plight.

He said: "Everyone was saying before this game that the form was coming after the last two games.

"But we got off to a bad start. We had a few chances to score and, maybe if we had done that, then it is a different game. That is football.

"The longer you play, the more your realise the margins from winning and losing games are pretty small.

"I don't think anyone can say we aren't trying. Everyone makes an effort but we were just not good enough against Stoke and that is what is frustrating."

Olsson added: "We are far behind but I am still believing. We still have to believe and we still do. We know it is going to be tough. This is one game we really needed to win.

"Now we have to go and try to get a result at Portsmouth instead. That is how you have to think as a player.

"The players are passionate. I think no-one feels as bad as the 20 players and staff in the locker room. It is devastating. For us, life has to go on.

"We still have seven games, we still have a chance and that is what you have got to think."