1981โ€“82 Stoke City F.C. season

Stoke City
1981โ€“82 season
Chairman Percy Axon
Manager Ritchie Barker
Stadium Victoria Ground
Football League First Division 18th (44 Points)
FA Cup Third Round
League Cup Second Round
Top goalscorer League: Lee Chapman (16)
All: Lee Chapman (17)
Highest home attendance 25,256 vs Manchester City (5 September 1981)
Lowest home attendance 9,120 vs Brighton & Hove Albion (20 March 1982)
Average home league attendance 14,635
Home colours

The 1981โ€“82 season was Stoke City's 75th season in the Football League and the 49th in the First Division.

In the Summer of 1981 Alan Durban quit as Stoke manager to take up the same position at Sunderland. His former assistant at Shrewsbury Town, Ritchie Barker was appointed as manager and despite a good start the team were involved in a relegation battle. The arrival of Sammy McIlroy from Manchester United helped Stoke to scrape to survival finishing two points away from the drop zone.[1]

Season review

League

Alan Durban's ambitions were bigger than Stoke's and in the summer of 1981 he was tempted by Sunderland's cash to become their manager.[1] Durban's former assistant at Shrewsbury Town Ritchie Barker was appointed as manager at the Victoria Ground and he inherited a reasonable squad of players but he also knew that the club had financial problems, which to a certain extent were eased when for the first time players wore shirts with a sponsor's name across their chests, Ricoh.[1] By this time Barker had sold Kevin Sheldon, Paul Johnson, Paul Richardson and Iain Munro.[1]

The 1981โ€“82 season saw the introduction of three points for a win and Stoke got their first trio of points on the opening day of the season away at Arsenal.[1] This was followed by a 4โ€“0 win at home against Coventry City.[1] However results and performances declined and after picking up just four more wins by January Stoke found themselves in a fight against relegation.[1] Youth team product Adrian Heath was fast becoming one of the most talked about midfielders in the division and so Barker allowed him to join Everton for a healthy ยฃ700,000.[1] He brought in England international David Watson from Southampton for ยฃ50,000 to replace the ageing Denis Smith and Sammy McIlroy for ยฃ350,000.[1] Mike Doyle left soon after Watson's arrival following an argument with Barker.[1] Despite an upturn in the results in February Stoke managed just a point in their next nine matches.[1] With Stoke looking destined for relegation McIlroy proved to be a calming influence and Stoke managed to survive by two points.[1]

FA Cup

A poor crowd of 12,805 saw Norwich City beat Stoke 1โ€“0 in the third round.[1]

League Cup

Manchester City again knocked Stoke out of the League Cup at the second round this time on penalties.[1]

Final league table

PosClubPWDLFAGDPts
1Liverpool4226978032+4887
2Ipswich Town42265117553+2283
3Manchester United42221285929+3078
4Tottenham Hotspur422011116748+1971
5Arsenal422011114837+1171
6Swansea City42216155851+769
7Southampton42199147267+566
8Everton421713125650+664
9West Ham United421416126657+958
10Manchester City421513144950โ€“158
11Aston Villa421512155553+257
12Nottingham Forest421512154248โ€“657
13Brighton & Hove Albion421313164352โ€“952
14Coventry City421311185662โ€“650
15Notts County42138216169โ€“847
16Birmingham City421014185361โ€“844
17West Bromwich Albion421111204657โ€“1144
18Stoke City42128224463โ€“1944
19Sunderland421111203858โ€“2044
20Leeds United421012203961โ€“2242
21Wolverhampton Wanderers421010223263โ€“3140
22Middlesbrough42815193452โ€“1839

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

Results

Stoke's score comes first

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division

MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
1 29 August 1981 ArsenalA1โ€“028,212Chapman 44'
2 2 September 1981 Coventry CityH4โ€“013,914Chapman (2) 5', 77', Heath (2) 12', 54'
3 5 September 1981 Manchester CityH1โ€“325,256Chapman 62'
4 12 September 1981 West Ham UnitedA2โ€“328,774O'Callaghan 29', Magurie 87' (pen)
5 19 September 1981 Nottingham ForestH1โ€“215,653Heath 5'
6 23 September 1981 Aston VillaA2โ€“225,637Griffiths 63', Magurie 65' (pen)
7 26 September 1981 MiddlesbroughA2โ€“311,604Griffiths 18', Chapman 80'
8 3 October 1981 EvertonH3โ€“116,007Chapman (2) 2', 90', Magurie 80'
9 10 October 1981 Tottenham HotspurA0โ€“230,520
10 17 October 1981 Swansea CityH1โ€“214,665Griffiths 35'
11 24 October 1981 Birmingham CityH1โ€“015,399Chapman 50'
12 31 October 1981 Brighton & Hove AlbionA0โ€“017,862
13 7 November 1981 SouthamptonH0โ€“213,884
14 14 November 1981 West Bromwich AlbionA2โ€“115,787Heath 25', Chapman 37'
15 21 November 1981 Ipswich TownH2โ€“013,802Chapman 60', Magurie 90'
16 24 November 1981 Coventry CityA0โ€“310,250
17 28 November 1981 Wolverhampton WanderersA0โ€“215,314
18 5 December 1981 Leeds UnitedH1โ€“213,901Heath 51'
19 9 January 1982 Manchester CityA1โ€“131,491O'Callaghan 39'
20 20 January 1982 ArsenalH0โ€“19,625
21 23 January 1982 Manchester UnitedH0โ€“319,662
22 30 January 1982 Nottingham ForestA0โ€“016,219
23 6 February 1982 West Ham UnitedH2โ€“111,987Chapman 10', Magurie 80'
24 10 February 1982 SunderlandA2โ€“014,317O'Callaghan 65', McIlroy 70'
25 13 February 1982 EvertonA0โ€“020,656
26 20 February 1982 MiddlesbroughH2โ€“010,473O'Callaghan 29', Chapman 46'
27 27 February 1982 Tottenham HotspurH0โ€“220,592
28 6 March 1982 Swansea CityA0โ€“311,811
29 9 March 1982 LiverpoolH1โ€“516,758McIlroy 56'
30 13 March 1982 Birmingham CityA1โ€“212,018Chapman 79'
31 20 March 1982 Brighton & Hove AlbionH0โ€“09,120
32 27 March 1982 SouthamptonA3โ€“420,058Biley 49', Watson 75', McIlroy 75'
33 10 April 1982 SunderlandH0โ€“111,399
34 13 April 1982 LiverpoolA0โ€“230,419
35 17 April 1982 Ipswich TownA0โ€“220,309
36 24 April 1982 Wolverhampton WanderersH2โ€“113,797Magurie 35' (pen), Chapman 47'
37 26 April 1982 Notts CountyA1โ€“38,686Chapman 27'
38 1 May 1982 Leeds UnitedA0โ€“017,775
39 5 May 1982 Aston VillaH1โ€“010,363Bracewell 17'
40 8 May 1982 Notts CountyH2โ€“211,011Watson 25', Magurie 27'
41 15 May 1982 Manchester UnitedA0โ€“243,073
42 20 May 1982 West Bromwich AlbionH3โ€“019,698Watson 25', Chapman 38', O'Callaghan 73'

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R32 January 1982 Norwich CityH0โ€“112,805

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R2 1st Leg10 October 1981 Manchester CityA0โ€“223,146
R2 2nd Leg28 October 1981 Manchester CityH2โ€“0 (8โ€“9 pens)17,373Chapman 80', Evans 87'

Friendlies

MatchOpponentVenueResult
1Crewe AlexandraA1โ€“0
2Shrewsbury TownA1โ€“2
3Port ValeA6โ€“1
4Blackburn RoversA0โ€“0
5WrexhamA3โ€“0
6Forest Green RoversA4โ€“0
7Shrewsbury TownA0โ€“0
8Sheffield WednesdayA0โ€“0
9BidefordA4โ€“0
10Port ValeH3โ€“2
11PanathinaikosA2โ€“3
12Tunisia XIA1โ€“1

Squad statistics

Pos. Name League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GKEngland Peter Fox 3801020410
GKNorthern Ireland Eric McManus 40000040
DFEngland Steve Bould 1(1)000001(1)0
DFEngland Alan Dodd 4101020440
DFEngland Mike Doyle 80100090
DFEngland Ray Evans 2201021251
DFEngland Peter Hampton 3301020360
DFEngland Paul Anthony Johnson 12(1)00(1)01013(2)0
DFScotland Steve Kirk 1200000120
DFEngland Denis Smith 1700020190
DFEngland Dave Watson 2430000243
DFScotland David McAughtrie 1300000130
MFEngland Alan Biley 81000081
MFEngland Paul Bracewell 4211020451
MFEngland Jeff Cook 0(1)000000(1)0
MFEngland Peter Griffiths 27(4)3100(1)028(5)3
MFEngland Adrian Heath 1751020205
MFNorthern Ireland Sammy McIlroy 1830000183
MFEngland Derek Parkin 1000000100
MFNetherlands Loek Ursem 1(2)010103(2)0
FWEngland Lee Chapman 40(1)16102143(1)17
FWEngland Steve Ford 1(1)000001(1)0
FWScotland John Lumsden 2(3)000002(3)0
FWScotland Paul Magurie 32(3)7002034(3)7
FWRepublic of Ireland Brendan O'Callaghan 39(2)5102042(2)5

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
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