1949–50 Stoke City F.C. season

Stoke City
1949–50 season
ChairmanMr H. Booth
ManagerBob McGrory
StadiumVictoria Ground
Football League First Division19th (34 Points)
FA CupThird Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Frank Bowyer
(15)
All: Frank Bowyer
(15)
Highest home attendance41,635 vs Sunderland
(27 December 1949)
Lowest home attendance17,297 vs Middlesbrough
(3 December 1949)
Average home league attendance27,215

The 1949–50 season was Stoke City's 43rd season in the Football League and the 29th in the First Division.

In June 1949, Stoke legend Freddie Steele left after 17 years with the club, scoring 159 goals. Stoke failed to find a suitable replacement, struggled throughout the season and ended up in a relegation battle. There was no end of season improvement in results and Stoke only stayed up due to the poor form of the relegated bottom two Birmingham City and Manchester City.[1]

Season review

League

With Freddie Steele now moved on to Mansfield Town, the simmering unrest continued with Neil Franklin eager to move his family away from the Stoke-on-Trent area for health reasons.[1] The local air at this time was far from clean due to the pottery industry at its peak and with kilns belching out smoke and fumes.[1] With Steele gone manager Bob McGrory searched for a replacement and went out and spent £3,000 on Verdi Godwin from Manchester City, hoping that he would help the club find their goalscoring touch.[1]

Franklin re-signed for the club in time for the 1949–50 season and his presence bolstered the defence whilst the forward line was struggling.[1] By the end of October Stoke had just two wins to their name and were in deep relegation trouble so McGrory smashed the club's transfer record by paying £9,000 to Celtic for Leslie Johnston.[1] However whilst Johnston was a fine footballer in Scotland he was not really up to the standard in English football and although he scored 22 goals in 92 games he was not the right player for the number 9 shirt.[1] On 15 October Frank Baker broke his leg for the fifth time in two years and he decided to retire.[1]

By January, there had been a modest improvement in performances out on the pitch and McGrory made his best signing for some time, persuading Freddie Steele who was now player-manager at Mansfield to part with young up and coming forward Harry Oscroft, Stoke handing over £8,000 plus Verdi Godwin who scored just twice in 23 matches.[1] Soon after Oscroft's arrival, Stoke's defence started to leak goals and FA Cup finalists Arsenal put six past them at Highbury without a Stoke reply.[1] Stoke managed just three points from their remaining eight matches this season and narrowly avoided relegation.[1]

FA Cup

47,000 fans saw Stoke's cup run end at the third round losing 1–0 at home to Second Division Tottenham Hotspur.[1]

Final league table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Relegation
17 Fulham 42 10 14 18 41 54 0.759 34
18 Everton 42 10 14 18 42 66 0.636 34
19 Stoke City 42 11 12 19 45 75 0.600 34
20 Charlton Athletic 42 13 6 23 53 65 0.815 32
21 Manchester City (R) 42 8 13 21 36 68 0.529 29 Relegation to the Second Division
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

Main article: 1949–50 Football League
Match Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
1 20 August 1949 Bolton Wanderers A 0–4 29,333
2 22 August 1949 Liverpool H 0–0 27,205
3 27 August 1949 Birmingham City H 3–1 28,069 Bowyer (2), Godwin
4 31 August 1949 Liverpool A 1–1 38,097 Bowyer
5 3 September 1949 Derby County A 3–2 29,305 Bowyer, Sellars, Kirton
6 5 September 1949 Burnley A 1–2 25,062 Bowyer
7 10 September 1949 West Bromwich Albion H 1–3 36,815 G Mountford
8 12 September 1949 Burnley H 1–1 25,077 Bowyer
9 17 September 1949 Manchester United A 2–2 42,614 F Mountford (pen), Godwin
10 24 September 1949 Chelsea H 2–3 28,650 G Mountford, F Mountford (pen)
11 1 October 1949 Newcastle United A 1–4 49,903 Bowyer
12 8 October 1949 Fulham H 0–2 24,904
13 15 October 1949 Manchester City A 1–1 31,151 F Mountford (pen)
14 22 October 1949 Charlton Athletic H 0–3 20,740
15 29 October 1949 Aston Villa A 1–1 30,000 Sellars
16 5 November 1949 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 2–1 40,111 Sellars, F Mountford (pen)
17 12 November 1949 Portsmouth A 0–0 33,257
18 19 November 1949 Huddersfield Town H 0–0 20,038
19 26 November 1949 Everton A 1–2 30,000 Peppitt
20 3 December 1949 Middlesbrough H 1–0 17,297 Bowyer
21 10 December 1949 Blackpool A 2–4 17,000 Peppitt, Johnston
22 17 December 1949 Bolton Wanderers H 3–2 19,023 Johnston, Bowyer (2)
23 24 December 1949 Birmingham City A 0–1 20,000
24 26 December 1949 Sunderland A 0–3 50,246
25 27 December 1949 Sunderland H 2–1 41,635 Bowyer, F Mountford (pen)
26 31 December 1949 Derby County H 1–3 25,989 Whiston
27 14 January 1950 West Bromwich Albion A 0–0 34,840
28 21 January 1950 Manchester United H 3–1 38,901 G Mountford (2), Bowyer
29 4 February 1950 Chelsea A 2–2 45,097 Johnston (2)
30 18 February 1950 Newcastle United H 1–0 31,399 Oscroft
31 25 February 1950 Fulham A 2–2 30,000 G Mountford, Bowyer
32 4 March 1950 Manchester City H 2–0 29,986 G Mountford, Bowyer
33 11 March 1950 Huddersfield Town A 0–4 18,702
34 18 March 1950 Everton H 1–0 22,125 Bowyer
35 25 March 1950 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 1–2 38,388 Whiston
36 1 April 1950 Portsmouth H 0–1 26,456
37 8 April 1950 Charlton Athletic A 0–2 28,000
38 10 April 1950 Arsenal A 0–6 30,064
39 15 April 1950 Aston Villa H 1–0 20,590 Meakin
40 22 April 1950 Middlesbrough A 0–2 32,000
41 29 April 1950 Blackpool H 1–1 17,797 Johnston
42 6 May 1950 Arsenal H 2–5 22,225 Oscroft (2)

FA Cup

Main article: 1949–50 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
R3 7 January 1950 Tottenham Hotspur H 0–1 47,000

Squad statistics

Pos. Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England Dennis Herod 20 0 1 0 21 0
GK England Norman Wilkinson 22 0 0 0 22 0
DF England Neil Franklin 34 0 1 0 35 0
DF England Eric Hampson 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF England Roy Jones 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF England John McCue 35 0 0 0 35 0
DF England Harry Meakin 5 0 1 0 6 0
DF England Billy Mould 7 0 0 0 7 0
DF England Cyril Watkin 37 0 1 0 38 0
MF England Roy Brown 0 0 1 0 1 0
MF Scotland Jock Kirton 15 1 0 0 15 1
MF England Frank Mountford 37 5 0 0 37 5
MF England John Sellars 40 3 1 0 41 3
MF England Edward Wordley 1 0 0 0 1 0
MF England Donald Whiston 4 2 1 0 5 2
FW England Frank Baker 11 0 0 0 11 0
FW England Bill Barker 1 0 0 0 1 0
FW England Frank Bowyer 42 15 1 0 43 15
FW England Bill Caton 9 0 0 0 9 0
FW England Verdi Godwin 22 2 1 0 23 2
FW Scotland Leslie Johnston 27 5 1 0 28 5
FW England John Malkin 28 1 1 0 29 1
FW England George Mountford 32 6 0 0 32 6
FW England Alexander Ormston 5 0 0 0 5 0
FW England Harry Oscroft 16 3 0 0 16 3
FW England Syd Peppitt 9 2 0 0 9 2
FW England Reginald Pickup 1 0 0 0 1 0

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.