News
08/05/05 Stoke finish their season in traditional style - the hallmark 1-0 defeat! Away at champions Sunderland, there was little hope of spoiling their party. The Potters end a disappointing campaign in 12th place on 61 points having scored a dismal 36 goals, although we can take some satisfaction from finishing 1 point and 2 places above Leeds Utd!
06/05/05 Jay Denny, Richard Keogh, and Jermaine Palmer are released on free transfers. Martin Patterson and Carl Dickinson have been offered new terms
30/04/05 Stoke's campaign is fizzling out to a despressing end as yet another 1-0 home defeat is recorded. This time it is Watford who are benefit from City's generosity, and ironically it is Icelander Helguson who nets their winner
28/04/05 Stoke City's owners announce that they are putting the club up for sale. Reykjavik-based Stoke Holdings have had a majority 60% stake in the club since November 1999 but say selling up could take more than a year to complete. Earlier this week, the consortium's chairman Magnus Kristinsson said he would not give the club any money while Tony Pulis was still Potters boss
23/04/05 Stoke add to their Cheshire neighbours' relegation worries as they beat Crewe 2-0 at Gresty Road. Late goals from Neal and Noel-Williams give the Potters a deserved win
19/04/05 Another home defeat for Stoke! This time it's 1-0 against West Ham
16/04/05 Stoke finally win in April, beating Plymouth 2-0 at the Britannia. A largely dull affair with few chances was settled by goals from Jones and Russell
09/04/05 Stoke's dismall April continues as they lose 3-1 away at Derby despite Taggart giving them the lead on 6 minutes. The lead only lasted a minute, and despite a better second half, a freak third goal finished off any hopes of a come-back
05/04/05 Stoke lose again at home to strugglers Cardiff 3-1. Hill scored for Stoke, and of course old-boy Thorne scored one of the goals against us
02/04/05 Stoke produce a dire display and lose to rock-bottom Rotherham 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium. Noel-Williams scored a later equaliser, but then put through his own net in injury time to hand all the points to the visitors. Duberry was sent off late on for a second booking to add to the woe
19/03/05 Stoke concede an injury time equaliser away at Wolves after seeming on course for all 3 points. Stoke had lead after Noel-William's 41st minute strike, but the home side rescued a point right at the death. Stoke are now 10th, but still just three points of a play-off berth
15/03/05 Stoke's decent run ends away at Gillingham. The Potters never really got going against a much improved Gills side, and Jones' goal was not enough in a 2-1 defeat
12/03/05 Stoke's good spell continues as once again they produce a 2-0 home victory, this time over promotion rivals Sheffield Utd. Noel-Williams scores twice for the second game running. Stoke are still 8th, 3 points short of the play-offs, and on 54 points
05/03/05 Following on from Tony Pulis' Manager of the month Award, Stoke win comfortably 2-0 at home to Brighton. Two first half penalties from Noel-Williams win it for Stoke. The Potters move up to 8th, and are 3 points short of a play-off spot
02/03/05 Michael Duberry joins Stoke on a free transfer from Leeds Utd. He signs a two and a half year deal
26/02/05 Normal service is resumed as Stoke fail to score away at strugglers Coventry City. Despite Coventry having their keeper sent off late in the first half, Stoke cannot find a goal and it ends 0-0, Stoke are 11th and six points short of a play-off position
24/02/05 Ade Akinbiyi leaves Stoke to join Burnley in a six figure deal believed to be £650,000
22/02/05 Stoke in goal fest shock! Stoke beat Leicester 3-2 at the Britannia. Brammer, Noel-Williams, and Taggart bag the goals. Harper had a hand in all three goals. Ricketts comes on as a late sub
22/02/05 Struggling striker Michael Ricketts joins Stoke from Leeds Utd on a month's loan
21/02/05 Marcus Hall leaves Stoke on a free transfer and rejoins former club Coventry City. His contract was due to expire at the end of the season
19/02/05 Debut boy Kenwyne Jones scores to give Stoke a consecutive 1-0 away win at Millwall. Stoke are now 12th on 44 points
17/02/05 Stoke accept Sheffield Utd's latest bid for Ade Akinbiyi. The player may now talk personal terms with the Blades' manager. Meanwhile Stoke are linked with a loan deal for Coventry striker Stern John
14/02/05 Trinidad and Tobago International Kenwyne Jones joins Stoke on a month's loan from Southampton. The 20 year old scored 7 goals in 7 games on loan at Sheffield Wednesday
05/02/05 At last! The bad run is broken as Stoke incredibly win 1-0 away at high-flying Wigan. Transfer listed Noel-Williams' first half stike was enough to take the points, but the Potters spent most of the game with backs to the wall. City climb to 13th in the table
04/02/05 Stoke bring in 20 year old midfielder Chris Clarke from Portsmouth on a 3 month loan
01/02/05 Stoke sign winger Kevin Harper from Portsmouth. The 29 year old was signed by Pulis before during his time as Pompey manager. Meanwhile defender Paul Williams is released by mutual consent
28/01/05 Stoke make double Icelandic swoop! Attacking midfielder and winger, Thordur Gudjonsson signs on a free contract from German side VFL Bochum. The 31 year old is the son of former manager Gudjon Thordarson and signs a 18 month deal. Joining him on a 2 months loan deal is striker Tryggvi Gudmundsson, a 30 year old from Icelandic club Hafnarfjordhur, having just joined them from Swedish outfit Orgryte. Meanwhile Karl Henry hands in a transfer request
24/01/05 Rob Hulse rejects a move to Stoke City. After discussing the move with his agent and his family he decides the time is not right, but does not discount a move to Stoke in the future
22/01/05 WBA accept Stoke's £1.2 million offer for striker Rob Hulse. The 25 year old former Crewe man watched the Leeds match from the stands, and is believed to be "keen" to join the Potters. It is now down to negotiating personal terms and him passing a routine medical
22/01/05 At the Britannia Stadium Stoke engage Leeds Utd in a "who can play the worst football" competition, and while honours are even in the quality stakes, Leeds undeservedly nick all three points through a Thomas own goal. It's Stoke's fifth 1-0 league defeat in a row, and the sixth game without scoring. They drop to 16th in the table and are overtaken by the frighteningly poor Leeds
14/01/05 What a surprise, another 1-0 defeat, the fourth in a row in the Championship! Seven Leeds Stokies gather to watch the game in a pub, but their support is not enough to help Stoke. Eustace had a the ball in the net but it was ruled offside, but for the rest of the game they didn't manage an effort on target against a nervy QPR. As usual one strike was enough to win it for the home side
09/01/05 It's a case of "Lucky" Arsenal again as brave Stoke give them a real game and only lose 2-1 away at Highbury. Thomas scores for the Potters just before the break to give Stoke a shock 1-0 lead. But two second half goals from Arsenal wins the tie. Akinbiyi has a decent goal disallowed for a foul, hits the bar with another fine effort, and Greenacre has a strike cleared off the line. It's out of the Cup but no disgrace
08/01/05 It's been a long time coming, but the latest Comment discusses the Tony Pulis phenomena so far, and the dreadful home kit! Comment
07/01/05 Jason Jarrett joins Stoke on a month's loan from Wigan. The 25 year old right-sided midfielder is available for Stoke's trip to Highbury in the FA Cup on Sunday
03/01/05 2005 doesn't get any better as almost predictably Stoke lose 1-0 at home to Burnley. A late scrambled goal from a corner is enough to let quitter Cotterill leave with a smile after he arrived to a loud chorus of boos.
01/01/05 The New Year starts badly as Stoke waste good chances, fail to score again, and lose 1-0 away at lowly Nottingham Forest. To add to the misery Hill and Clarke get red cards late on
28/12/04 City shoot blanks again away at leaders Ipswich Town. The hosts deservedly win 1-0 but it should have been more
26/12/04 It's a Boxing Day bore-draw at the Britannia as a wretchedly negative display produces a 0-0 draw against Preston
17/12/04 Ade Akinbiyi scores a fine solo goal late on to help Stoke snatch a 1-0 win away at Brighton, the Potters third win in a row. They move up to 6th in the Championship but drop to 7th following Saturday's results
11/12/04 Ade Akinbiyi breaks his long goal drought with a headed goal at home to Coventry, and it's enough to give Stoke a 1-0 win and puts them in 9th in the Championship and two points short of the play off zone
05/12/04 In the first tie drawn out of the hat, Stoke City face a daunting task away at Arsenal in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup
04/12/04 Noel-Williams scores against his former club, and Stoke hold on to win 1-0 away at Watford. The win gives Stoke 31 points and takes them up to 9th in the Championship
27/11/04 Impotent Stoke fail to score again, and a late header by Sunderland earns the visitors a 1-0 win at the Britannia. It's City's fourth 0-1 home defeat this season
20/11/04 Stoke gain a point in a 0-0 draw away at Plymouth are a now tenth
13/11/04 A Noel-Williams header is enough to settle the local derby against Crewe, as Stoke win 1-0 at the Britannia and move up to 9th in the table. Before the game it is announced that Pulis has agreed new terms
10/11/04 Steve Guppy's two month spell ends at Stoke, as he is released by mutual consent. Guppy made four appearances for the Potters. Meanwhile Taggart is to have an operation on his ankle and could be out for two months
06/11/04 Stoke can't find the net again, and lose 1-0 away at Reading, the second defeat against the club in a month
02/11/04 Despite starting with 3 strikers, Stoke can't find the net against leaders Wigan, and go down to a late goal in a 1-0 defeat at the Britannia Report
30/10/04 Forgotten man Greenacre comes off the bench to score a late winner as Stoke's 1-0 home victory over Millwall is the first in eight games and pushes the Potters up to 8th in the table
23/10/04 Finally Stoke score, as Asaba repays Pulis' faith in him, and gets the equaliser as the Potters draw 1-1 away at Leicester after a Halls own goal game the home side the lead
19/10/04 It's four games without a goal, and a third consecutive defeat for Stoke as they go down 2-0 away at West Ham Utd
16/10/04 Stoke lose again 0-1 at the Britannia Stadium, this time against Reading
15/10/04 Defender Michael Duberry joins Stoke on a 3 month loan deal from Championship rivals Leeds Utd
06/10/04 Chairman Gunnar Gislason announces the stunning news that the Directors have agreed to provide Tony Pulis with £2 million to strengthen the squad for a push for promotion to the Premiership. It is the most a manager has been given in the history of the club
02/10/04 Stoke lose 0-1 to QPR at the Britannia Stadium after Taggart is dismissed in the first half
28/09/04 Stoke slip down to 5th in the table after a negative display earns a 0-0 draw away at Leeds Utd
25/09/04 Stoke come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Burnley, but with the Clarets reduced to 10 men, and the Potters piling on the pressure throughout the second half, the draw should have been a win. Akinbiyi bagged both goals to take his tally to 5 for the season.
18/09/04 Stoke slip back down to 3rd in the table after a 0-0 -draw at home against Nottingham Forest
14/09/04 A five goal thriller at the Britannia ends in a 3-2 win against Ipswich Town to send Stoke top of the table after 8 games. Thomas scores a couple as Stoke have to come from behind twice, and Halls is sent off in the last 10 minutes, before Akinibyi snatches the dramatic late winner
13/09/04 Steve Guppy signs a 1 month contract at Stoke after the 35 year old winger is released by Leeds
11/09/04 The unbeaten run is over as Stoke crash to a 3-0 defeat away at Preston. Two late goals in two second half minutes end any chance of a comeback after trailing much of the game 1-0.
30/08/04 Injury time Hall strike gives sluggish Stoke an undeserved 1-0 home win over Derby. Report
28/08/04 Noel-Williams' goal is enough to send battling Stoke second in the Championship with a 1-0 away victory against Cardiff City. Stoke had to defend stoutly in the second half but held on to win.
24/08/04 Asaba scores but Thomas gets sent off so Stoke crash out of the Carling Cup 2-1 in the 1st Round away at Oldham
21/08/04 Stoke's unbeaten run continues with a deserved 2-0 home win over Gillingham. Noel-Williams and Akinbiyi get the goals, one in each half
14/08/04 Akinbiyi scores a late equaliser to give Stoke a 1-1 draw away at Rotherham Utd
10/08/04 Noel-Williams is dismissed on 51 minutes, but Stoke battle at Sheffield Utd to earn a 0-0 draw
09/08/04 Clarke and Neal sign extensions to their contracts
08/08/04 Opening day delight for Stoke as a brilliant Russell goal and a Clarke penalty see City deservedly beat Wolves 2-1 at the Britannia
06/08/04 Defender Chris Barker joins Stoke from Cardiff on a 3 month loan
03/08/04 Taggart signs a one year deal
02/08/04 Dave Kemp joins Stoke as the new coach
28/07/04 Peter Ndlovu offered terms at Stoke
09/07/04 Playmaker Dave Brammer arrives from Crewe, signing a 2 year deal
08/07/04 Goalkeeper Steve Simonsen joins from Everton on a 2 year deal
10/05/04
Brynjar Gunnarsson, Laurence Hall and Peter Hoekstra leave the Britannia.
Meanwhile Gerry Taggart, Neil Cutler, Andy Wilkinson, Kris Commons, Ben Foster
and Gareth Owen have all been offered fresh deals.
09/05/04 Stoke end the campaign with a lacklustre display at the Britannia to draw 0-0 with Gillingham. It's also Peter Hoekstra's last game as he retires. Stoke finish in 11th place on 66pts
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