Stoke City have claims to be one of the oldest league clubs with origins dating back to 1863, though there are disagreements among football historians. What is without doubt is the Staffordshire club have a rich history that includes some of football’s most famous names such as the great Sir Stanley Matthews and former England goalkeeper Gordon Banks.
The club today sit in the Premiership playing their football from a modern stadium on the outskirts of the city. They have a loud and devoted following despite a lack of recent trophies for the cabinet.
The Birth of Stoke City
One version of the disputed history says the club was formed in 1863 by former pupils of the Charterhouse School who were by then apprentices at the city’s North Staffordshire Railway works. But there is no documented evidence or any records of games being played.
On then to September 1868, and there is a mention in a local magazine of a club called Stoke Ramblers being formed by ex-Charterhouse School pupil Henry Almond. This team played its first game in October 1868. Whether this was a continuation of the team formed in 1863 or a new team is lost in history, but what is clear is that Stoke Ramblers evolved into the Stoke City of today.
All the early games played were friendlies until 1877 when they entered the newly formed Staffordshire County Cup, which they won – the club’s first ever trophy. In an earlier round, they beat Mow Cop 26-0, still the club’s record highest win and one that will never be beaten.
Stoke City and the Birth of the Football League
After turning professional in 1885, Stoke FC (the name changed after a merger with a local cricket club and a move to the Victoria Ground, which was to be their home for 119 years) became one of the founding members of the Football League.
Like many clubs in their early days, Stoke suffered financial problems and these led to them losing their league status in 1908. Supporters pitched in to rescue the club and they continued playing in the Birmingham & District League. The following year, the club had two teams, the second playing in the Southern League West Division, which they won. They continued playing until 1915 when they were elected back into the Football League.
Stoke were promoted in 1922 to the first division but were relegated a year later and three years after that relegated again to the Third Division North, which they won the following year. As Stoke had now been given city status, the name of the club was changed to Stoke City.
The Stanley Matthews Era
Stoke City’s most famous player was Stanley Matthews and a statue of him greets visitors to their Britannia Stadium and there is a display to his honour at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. He made his debut in 1932 after being an apprentice. He won the first of his 54 England caps in 1934 after helping Stoke City back into the first division the previous year.
Matthews’ magical football brought fans far and wide to the Victoria Ground. This more than doubled the average attendance to 23,000 and gave the club financial stability. The team made it to fourth in the first division in 1936, but failure to improve meant Stanley Matthews was keen to leave and find success elsewhere. Pressure from the fans kept him at Stoke.
After the Second World War, the club again made it to fourth in the league in 1947, but Matthews had had enough and left to join Blackpool, where he helped them win the FA Cup in 1953, the year Stoke City were relegated to the second division. Stanley Matthews returned to the club in 1961 under new manager Tony Waddington to finish off his career, helping them to promotion to the first division in 1963. He was knighted in 1965 and played his final game a month later aged 50.
Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton
England’s 1966 World Cup winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks joined Stoke City from Leicester City in 1967 for £52,000 and helped stabilise a struggling side, keeping them in the first division. Sadly, his career with Stoke lasted only until 1972 when he was forced to retire after losing an eye in a car crash.
Earlier that year he helped Stoke City land their first major trophy, beating Chelsea 2-1 in the final to win the League Cup to help ease the disappointment of being losing FA Cup semi-finalists the previous two seasons.
Tony Waddington replaced Gordon Banks with another signing from Leicester City – England goalkeeper Peter Shilton for £325,000.
Stoke had two unsuccessful campaigns in the UEFA Cup, in 1972 and 1974 before being relegated to the second division in 1977; Shilton left for Nottingham Forest. They were promoted again in 1979, now under manager Alan Durban, who they’d poached from Shrewsbury Town.
Fall and Rise of Stoke City
City were relegated in 1985 and then again in 1990 to the third tier of English football were they stayed for three years before promotion under manager Lou Macari in 1993. He nearly returned them to the Premiership in 1996, but they lost in the play-offs.
In 1997, Stoke City said goodbye to the Victoria Ground and moved into the brand-new Britannia Stadium. In 1998, relegation back to the third tier followed and a year later the club was bought by a consortium of Icelandic businesses.
The rise back to fame started in 2002 when Stoke City won the playoff final over Brentford after losing in the playoffs the previous two seasons. Current manager Tony Pulis took over in 2003 and led them back to the top flight with a second place finish in the Championship in 2008. They finished mid-table in the Premiership in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and were runners-up in the FA Cup in 2011 as well.
Other Football Club Histories
Arsenal, Bradford City, Burton Albion, Chelsea, Cheltenham Town, Chesterfield, Derby County, Fulham, Lincoln City, Macclesfield Town, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, MK Dons, Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Reading, Shrewsbury Town, Stockport County, Tottenham Hotspur.
Steve Rogerson - Steve Rogerson is a UK-based writer specialising in television, technology, sports and beer.
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