1952–53 Stoke City F.C. season

Stoke City
1952–53 season
Chairman Mr E. Henshall
Manager Frank Taylor
Stadium Victoria Ground
Football League First Division 21st (34 Points)
FA Cup Fourth Round
Top goalscorer League: Harry Oscroft (10)
All: Harry Oscroft (10)
Highest home attendance 35,006 vs Manchester City (23 August 1952)
Lowest home attendance 19,611 vs Sunderland (28 March 1953)
Average home league attendance 27,883
Home colours

The 1952–53 season was Stoke City's 46th season in the Football League and the 32nd in the First Division.

The summer of 1952 again brought drama as long serving manager Bob McGrory resigned after spending 31 years with the club as player and manager. In his place came former Scarborough manager and Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Frank Taylor. However despite a change in leadership the team continued to struggle and were again involved in a relegation battle. The season went to the final day and Stoke went into their match against Derby County knowing they had to win to stay up, a 2–1 defeat saw Stoke's stay in the First Division come to a disappointing end.[1]

Season review

League

During the summer of 1952 Bob McGrory resigned after spending 31 years at the Victoria Ground as player and manager and Frank Taylor took over as first team manager.[1] Taylor was a 'new breed' of tracksuit manager and was regarded as potential great manager by the Stoke board.[1] The first act Taylor did was to erect a sign above the players dressing room which read: Are you 90 minutes fit? It's the last 20 minutes that count–train for it.[1]

The 1952–53 season was obviously going to be a transitional one with the defence and forward lines in need of strengthening.[1] A new goalkeeper was brought in, Bill Robertson coming up from Birmingham City for £8,000.[1] The season didn't start well and after one win the first five matches Taylor moved quickly to bring in Ken Thomson to the club a fine centre back from Aberdeen whilst allowing George Mountford to join Queens Park Rangers.[1] Taylor also started to move on some of McGrory's signings but the talent from the youth team which had served Stoke for so long had now dried up.[1]

Prior to the lead up to 1953 Stoke had agonisingly slipped into the relegation zone, but seven games without defeat at the turn of the year they seemed to have averted the danger.[1] But then it all went wrong again and they slipped back down the table and in the end they had to win their final match of the season against an already relegated Derby County at the Victoria Ground.[1] Most expected Stoke to step it up and beat a dejected Derby side but disaster struck as Jack Lee scored for the "Rams" early on. Stoke hit back through Frank Bowyer but Jackie Stamps but Derby 2–1 up. Stoke created plenty of chances and with just minutes left were awarded a penalty but the reliable Ken Thomson hit his kick straight at Ray Middleton and with it ended Stoke's 20 year stay in the First Division.[1]

FA Cup

A miserable season was not helped any by a shock 1–0 defeat to Third Division North side Halifax Town in the fourth round.[1]

Final league table

PosClubPWDLFAGAPts
1Arsenal422112997641.51654
2Preston North End422112985601.41754
3Wolverhampton Wanderers4219131086631.36551
4West Bromwich Albion422181366601.10050
5Charlton Athletic4219111277631.22249
6Burnley4218121267521.28848
7Blackpool421991471701.01447
8Manchester United4218101469720.95846
9Sunderland4215131468820.82943
10Tottenham Hotspur4215111678691.13041
11Aston Villa4214131563611.03341
12Cardiff City4214121654461.17440
13Middlesbrough4214111770770.90939
14Bolton Wanderers421591861690.88439
15Portsmouth4214101874830.89238
16Newcastle United421491959700.84337
17Liverpool421482061820.74436
18Sheffield Wednesday4212111962720.86135
19Chelsea4212111956660.84835
20Manchester City421472172870.82835
21Stoke City4212102053660.80334
22Derby County4211102159740.79732

Key: P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = Points

Results

Stoke's score comes first

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division

MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
1 23 August 1952 Manchester CityH2–135,006Smyth, Oscroft
2 26 August 1952 BurnleyA2–329,087Smyth, Oscroft
3 30 August 1952 LiverpoolA2–340,062Bowyer, Johnston
4 1 September 1952 BurnleyH1–340,062Oscroft
5 6 September 1952 MiddlesbroughH1–032,061Johnston
6 10 September 1952 Preston North EndA0–335,275
7 13 September 1952 West Bromwich AlbionA2–327,028Johnston, Mountford (pen)
8 15 September 1952 Preston North EndH0–028,436
9 20 September 1952 Newcastle UnitedH1–032,359Johnston
10 27 September 1952 Cardiff CityA0–240,271
11 4 October 1952 Sheffield WednesdayH1–329,627Sellars
12 11 October 1952 Manchester UnitedA2–028,968Siddall, Finney
13 18 October 1952 PortsmouthH2–429,057Finney, Smyth
14 25 October 1952 Bolton WanderersA1–225,294Finney
15 1 November 1952 Aston VillaH1–426,652Smyth
16 8 November 1952 SunderlandA1–143,444Mountford (pen)
17 15 November 1952 Wolverhampton WanderersH1–228,410Smyth
18 22 November 1952 Charlton AthleticA1–512,143Mountford (pen)
19 29 November 1952 ArsenalH1–124,033Malkin
20 6 December 1952 Derby CountyA0–417,484
21 13 December 1952 BlackpoolH4–019,382Oscroft (2), Mountford, Fenton (o.g.)
22 20 December 1952 Manchester CityA1–213,562Whiston
23 26 December 1952 ChelseaH1–130,846Malkin
24 27 December 1952 ChelseaA0–017,173
25 3 January 1953 LiverpoolH3–123,488Oscroft (2), Whiston
26 17 January 1953 MiddlesbroughA0–020,320
27 24 January 1953 West Bromwich AlbionH5–135,226Oscroft (2), Martin (2), Bowyer
28 7 February 1953 Newcastle UnitedA2–125,115Martin, Finney
29 14 February 1953 Cardiff CityH0–021,619
30 21 February 1953 Sheffield WednesdayA0–140,209
31 28 February 1953 Manchester UnitedH3–130,219Brown (2), Martin
32 7 March 1953 PortsmouthA1–125,370Oscroft
33 14 March 1953 Bolton WanderersH1–228,232Brown
34 25 March 1953 Aston VillaA1–115,056Thomson
35 28 March 1953 SunderlandH3–019,611Brown (2), Connor
36 3 April 1953 Tottenham HotspurA0–135,606
37 4 April 1953 Wolverhampton WanderersA0–338,000
38 6 April 1953 Tottenham HotspurH2–025,346Brown, Thomson
39 11 April 1953 Charlton AthleticH1–027,087Brown
40 15 April 1953 BlackpoolA1–113,280Mountford
41 18 April 1953 ArsenalA1–347,376Brown
42 25 April 1953 Derby CountyH1–229,597Bowyer

FA Cup

Main article: 1952–53 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R310 January 1953 WrexhamH2–136,361Finney, Whiston
R431 January 1953 Halifax TownA0–134,788

Squad statistics

Pos. Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GKWales Frank Elliott 12010130
GKEngland Dennis Herod 11010120
GKEngland Bill Robertson 19000190
DFEngland Roy Beckett 400040
DFEngland George Bourne 20000200
DFEngland Brian Doyle 17020190
DFEngland John McCue 36020380
DFScotland Ken Thomson 38220402
MFEngland Des Farrow 300030
MFScotland Jock Kirton 300030
MFEngland Frank Mountford 37520395
MFEngland John Sellars 37120391
FWEngland Frank Bowyer 29320313
FWEngland Roy Brown 16800168
FWEngland Harold Connor 210021
FWEngland Bill Finney 21411225
FWScotland Leslie Johnston 14400144
FWEngland John Malkin 24220262
FWScotland Billy McIntosh 200020
FWEngland Alan Martin 29410304
FWEngland Jack McClelland 400040
FWEngland George Mountford 400040
FWEngland Harry Oscroft 3710203910
FWEngland Brian Siddall 21100211
FWNorthern Ireland Sammy Smyth 14500145
MFEngland Derrick Ward 200020
FWEngland Donald Whiston 622183
Own goals 101

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, January 28, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.