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Auto Windscreen Shield Winners
Stoke's second success in this competition came with a 2-1 win over Bristol City at the Old Wembley Stadium. A crowd of over 75,000 saw the potters lift the trophy in what proved to be an eventful season. Picture taken from: http://www.stokecityfc.com/page/History/0,,10310~401616,00.html -
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21st Century Success of Stoke City
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Play Off Heartache
Stoke reached the "Division Two" play off Semi Finals and faced Gillingham. Stoke won the first leg at the Britannia Stadium in controversial circumstances. They took an early 2-0 lead however an extended period of extra time allocated by the referee led to the game ending 3-2 giving Gillingham two crucial away goals going into the second leg. Gillingham away ended badly with Stoke having two players sent off and a 6-5 aggregate loss. Picture taken from: http://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com -
2nd Successive Playoff Defeat
After the disappointment of the previous year, Stoke went on to play Walsall in the 2001 division two play offs. The outcome was largely similar with Stoke losing 4-2 on aggregate. A 0-0 draw at the Britannia stadium was followed by a woeful performance at the Bescott Stadium. Three second half goals in fifteen minutes ended Stoke’s hopes of a return to the championship and rounded of a thoroughly underwhelming season. -
Third Time Lucky
After back to back defeats in the playoffs, Stoke managed to defeat Cardiff over two legs to earn a place in the final. A last minute goal took the game to extra time where Stoke scored the decisive115th minute winner. The final took place at the Millennium Stadium against Brentford. Stoke won the game 2-0 with goals from Deon Burton along with an own goal. In doing so Stoke ended the south dressing room jynx, which had previously seen eleven teams fall foul of the curse. -
The Coming of Tony Pulis
The season following promotion was a struggle. Steve Cotterill was largely inexperienced and led the club on a poor run before leaving after just twelve games. Pulis divided opinion amongst fans due to his defensive approach, however went on tto save Stoke from an immediate return to Division Two with a dramatic last day win away to Reading. http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/image_galleries/argyle_players2005_gallery.shtml?2 -
Consolidation
Positions of 11th, 12th and 13th helped to consolidate Stoke as a championship side. During this time English millionaire Peter Coates re-aquired the club from Icelandic obscurity and provided extra funds to secure loan moves for the club. Picture taken fro: http://www.stokecityfc.com/page/History/0,,10310~401090,00.html -
Premier League Promotion
The loan signing of Ryan Shawcross who is now the club Captain was a turning point for the Potters. Several other keys players joined at around the same time and transformed the team. Leading goalscorers Liam Lawrence and Ricardo Fuller helped fire Stoke to 2nd place and secured promotion to the premier league for the first time in 23 years. Picture taken by Rory Raine -
Avoid Relegation
Stoke were written off by many and seemigly condemned to relegation at the first attempt. Bookmaker Paddy Power famously paid down on all bets for Stoke to go down after they lost their opening game of the season 3-1 away to Bolton. Nine months later Stoke were clear of the relegation zone and had gained plaudits from many who had previously overlooked them. Picture taken from: http://www.stokecityfc.com/page/HistoryIndex/0,,10310,00.html -
FA Cup Journey
Wins over Brighton, Cardiff, Wolves and West Ham culminated in a thrilling 5-0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the Semi Final at Wembley which took Stoke into their first ever FA Cup final. The final appearance proved to be a step to far and ended in a 1-0 loss to Manchester City. However even having lost the final Stoke qualified for the Europa League for the first time since 1972, completing one of the clubs most succesful seasons. Picture taken by Rory Raine -
European Tour
A hard fought tie against Croation giants Hadjuk Split saw Stoke progress and face Swiss FC Thun. A comfortable win confirmed Stoke's place in the group stages. Experienced Dinamo Kiev, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Besiktas awaited them in what seemed to be a difficult draw. On the 1st of December Stoke held Kiev to a 1-1 draw and booked thier place in the Europa League knockout stages for the first time. Picture taken from: http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/g465/rpbinredcoat/Kyiv/030.jpg
