Stoke
1901–02 season
ChairmanMr W Cowlishaw
ManagerHorace Austerberry
StadiumVictoria Ground
Football League First Division16th (31 Points)
FA CupThird Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Mart Watkins
(15)

All: Mart Watkins
(16)
Highest home attendance13,000 vs Bury
(2 September 1901)
Lowest home attendance4,000 vs Newcastle United
(11 January 1902)
Average home league attendance7,280

The 1901–02 season was Stoke's 13th season in the Football League.

Stoke failed to improve from last season's narrow escape and again required a final day survival, Stoke stayed up after a 2–2 draw with Manchester City one point more than Small Heath who could only draw 0–0 with Notts County and were relegated.[1]

Season review

League

Stoke now without William Maxwell struggled again in 1901–02.[1] With winger Freddie Johnson now skippering the side, Stoke again took 16th position in the First Division avoiding relegation by a single point thanks mainly to a four match unbeaten run at the end of the season.[1] The relegation battle came to a crescendo in April with literally 14 of the 18 teams in the division in danger of the drop, with 3rd placed Newcastle United only avoiding relegation by seven points.[1]

At the start of April the bottom of the table was tight with Stoke having one of the poorest goal-averages, and away trips to Notts County and Manchester City were favourites to go down.[1] But again, Stoke escaped after switching 5 ft 5 inch half-back Tom Holford to centre forward for the last four games which ended in a 1–1 draw at Notts County, home wins 4–0 and 2–0 over Bolton and Grimsby respectively and a last gasp 2–2 draw with Manchester City where Holford scored his third goal in succession.[1] Stoke could have gone down right at the death if Small Heath had beaten Notts County in their last match but they drew 0–0 and both the Birmingham club and Manchester City were relegated.[1] One of Stoke's most bizarre events in their history occurred in January 1902 when the team fell ill with food poisoning just before a league match away at Liverpool. The players had eaten fish at the Adelphi Hotel and were violently sick in the dressing room at Anfield. Soon into the match goalkeeper Leigh Richmond Roose had to leave the pitch and Stoke went on to lose 7–0.[2]

FA Cup

Stoke fared better in the FA Cup this season beating Aston Villa and Bristol Rovers before losing to Nottingham Forest in the third round.[1]

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Relegation
14 Wolverhampton Wanderers 34 13 6 15 46 57 0.807 32
15 Grimsby Town 34 13 6 15 44 60 0.733 32
16 Stoke 34 11 9 14 45 55 0.818 31
17 Small Heath (R) 34 11 8 15 47 45 1.044 30 Relegation to the Second Division
18 Manchester City (R) 34 11 6 17 42 58 0.724 28
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(R) Relegated

Results

Stoke's score comes first

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division

MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
12 September 1901BuryH1–213,000Lockett
27 September 1901LiverpoolH1–012,000Higginson
314 September 1901Newcastle UnitedA1–520,000Lockett
421 September 1901Aston VillaH1–010,000Watkins
528 September 1901Sheffield UnitedA1–112,000Higginson
65 October 1901Nottingham ForestH1–18,000Johnson
712 October 1901BuryA2–48,000Watkins (2)
819 October 1901Blackburn RoversH2–210,000Watkins, Lockett
926 October 1901Grimsby TownA2–16,000Watkins, Whitehouse
102 November 1901EvertonA0–116,000
119 November 1901SunderlandH3–010,000Watkins (2), Doig (o.g.)
1211 November 1901Wolverhampton WanderersH3–08,000Watkins, Johnson, Hales
1323 November 1901Derby CountyH1–18,000Harris
1430 November 1901The WednesdayA1–37,500Johnson
157 December 1901Notts CountyH3–07,000Watkins, Hales, Lockett
1614 December 1901Bolton WanderersA1–26,000Watkins
1726 December 1901Sheffield UnitedH3–212,000Watkins (2), MacDonald
1828 December 1901Wolverhampton WanderersA1–47,000Whitehouse
194 January 1902LiverpoolA0–77,000
2011 January 1902Newcastle UnitedH0–04,000
2113 January 1902Manchester CityH3–05,000Higginson, Watkins, Whitehouse
2218 January 1902Aston VillaA0–025,000
231 February 1902Nottingham ForestA0–26,000
2415 February 1902Blackburn RoversA1–67,000Watkins
2517 February 1902Small HeathA1–15,000MacDonald
261 March 1902EvertonH1–210,000MacDonald
278 March 1902SunderlandA0–28,000
2815 March 1902Small HeathH1–06,000Lockett
2922 March 1902Derby CountyA0–18,000
3029 March 1902The WednesdayH1–27,000Higginson
315 April 1902Notts CountyA1–15,000Harris
3212 April 1902Bolton WanderersH4–05,000Harris, Holford, Higginson (2)
3314 April 1902Grimsby TownH2–04,000Watkins, Holford
3419 April 1902Manchester CityA2–27,000Holford, Hillman (o.g.)

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R125 January 1902Aston VillaH2–220,000Watkins, Hales
R1 Replay29 January 1902Aston VillaA2–1 (aet)22,000Higginson, Hales
R28 February 1902Bristol RoversA1–015,000Dunn (o.g.)
R322 February 1902Nottingham ForestA0–229,000

Squad statistics

Pos. Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GKEngland George Boote 100010
GKEngland George Lawton 100010
GKWales Leigh Richmond Roose 24040280
GKEngland Tom Wilkes 800080
FBEngland Harry Benson 100010
FBEngland Charlie Burgess 301040
FBEngland Bill Capewell 12000120
FBScotland Andy Clark 34030370
FBWales Sam Meredith 27040310
HBEngland Thomas Shufflebotham 000000
HBEngland Samuel Ashworth 25040290
HBEngland George Baddeley 700070
HBEngland James Bradley 23020250
HBEngland Tom Holford 29340333
HBEngland Vic Horrocks 000000
HBEngland Billy Leech 13020150
FWEngland Ross Fielding 200020
FWEngland Len Hales 15242194
FWEngland George Harris 15300153
FWEngland Sam Higginson 30641347
FWEngland Freddie Johnson 29340333
FWEngland Arthur Lockett 27540315
FWScotland Billy MacDonald 930093
FWEngland Bertram Wallace 100010
FWWales Mart Watkins 3215413616
FWEngland Frank Whitehouse 630063
Own goals 213

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. "A fishy sickness bug? When Liverpool put Potters in their plaice". Stoke Sentinel. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
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