Stoke CityStoke City waited ninety years for its only major trophy, which makes 4 March 1972 the defining date for a club whose roots go back much further. Under the manager Tony Waddington, Stoke beat Chelsea 2–1 in the League Cup final at Wembley, in front of 97,852 spectators, with goals from Terry Conroy and George Eastham. The route there included a semi-final against West Ham United that needed four games, a seven-hour marathon in which the goalkeeper Gordon Banks saved a penalty. The final remains the club's most famous afternoon, and the trophy is still its only major honour.
The club was founded in 1863 as Stoke Ramblers, although its early history is a matter of debate, and the first recorded match dates from 1868. Ground-sharing with Stoke Victoria Cricket Club, the Ramblers merged with their hosts and became Stoke Football Club in 1878, and in 1925 the name changed to Stoke City after Stoke-on-Trent received city status. Stoke was a founder member of the Football League in 1888, but was outvoted after two seasons and spent 1890–91 in the Football Alliance, before returning the following year. The nickname, the Potters, and the red-and-white stripes belong to a football culture shaped by the industrial heritage of the Potteries.
The club's other defining figure is Stanley Matthews. In 1946–47 Stoke came close to the league title: needing a win in the last match, the team lost 2–1 at Sheffield United, and the championship went to Liverpool. Matthews thrilled the crowds at the Victoria Ground over three decades, and in 1961 Waddington persuaded him to return to the club at the age of 46, fourteen years after he had left. Stoke finished eighth in 1961–62. Waddington, who managed the club from 1960 to 1977, built the most successful side in its history. It reached the 1964 League Cup final, lost 4–3 on aggregate to Leicester City, and in 1967 signed Banks, England's 1966 World Cup-winning goalkeeper, from Leicester for £52,000.
The Victoria Ground, the club's home from 1878 to 1997, was replaced in 1997 by a new stadium on the edge of the city. The move was followed by relegation to the third tier in 1998. The ground, which now holds about 30,000 spectators after an expansion in 2017, was opened by Matthews, and a statue of him stands outside. The commercial name of the stadium has changed since, so the historic reference remains the Victoria Ground, where Matthews and Banks played.
The modern high point came under Tony Pulis, who managed the club from 2006 to 2013 and brought it back to the top flight in 2008, after 23 years away. Stoke spent ten seasons in the Premier League, finishing ninth three years in a row from 2013–14, and signed players such as Peter Crouch and Michael Owen. In 2011 the club beat Bolton Wanderers 5–0 in the FA Cup semi-final and reached its first FA Cup final, losing 1–0 to Manchester City. That run brought qualification for European competition in 2011–12, the club's first European campaign since 1974. Stoke was relegated in 2018, finishing 19th with 33 points, and it now plays in the Championship. The club is owned by the Coates family, founders of the bookmaker bet365. For supporters, the 1972 final, Matthews's late career and the Pulis years remain the reference points for a club that has spent most of its history in the shadow of larger ones.