1952–53 Stoke City F.C. season


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.

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. Taylor was a 'new breed' of tracksuit manager and was regarded as potential great manager by the Stoke board. 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.
The 1952–53 season was obviously going to be a transitional one with the defence and forward lines in need of strengthening. A new goalkeeper was brought in, Bill Robertson coming up from Birmingham City for £8,000. The season did not 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. 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.
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. 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. 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.

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.

Final league table

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

Football League First Division

MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
123 August 1952Manchester CityH2–135,006Smyth, Oscroft
226 August 1952BurnleyA2–329,087Smyth, Oscroft
330 August 1952LiverpoolA2–340,062Bowyer, Johnston
41 September 1952BurnleyH1–340,062Oscroft
56 September 1952MiddlesbroughH1–032,061Johnston
610 September 1952Preston North EndA0–335,275
713 September 1952West Bromwich AlbionA2–327,028Johnston, Mountford
815 September 1952Preston North EndH0–028,436
920 September 1952Newcastle UnitedH1–032,359Johnston
1027 September 1952Cardiff CityA0–240,271
114 October 1952Sheffield WednesdayH1–329,627Sellars
1211 October 1952Manchester UnitedA2–028,968Siddall, Finney
1318 October 1952PortsmouthH2–429,057Finney, Smyth
1425 October 1952Bolton WanderersA1–225,294Finney
151 November 1952Aston VillaH1–426,652Smyth
168 November 1952SunderlandA1–143,444Mountford
1715 November 1952Wolverhampton WanderersH1–228,410Smyth
1822 November 1952Charlton AthleticA1–512,143Mountford
1929 November 1952ArsenalH1–124,033Malkin
206 December 1952Derby CountyA0–417,484
2113 December 1952BlackpoolH4–019,382Oscroft, Mountford, Fenton
2220 December 1952Manchester CityA1–213,562Whiston
2326 December 1952ChelseaH1–130,846Malkin
2427 December 1952ChelseaA0–017,173
253 January 1953LiverpoolH3–123,488Oscroft, Whiston
2617 January 1953MiddlesbroughA0–020,320
2724 January 1953West Bromwich AlbionH5–135,226Oscroft, Martin, Bowyer
287 February 1953Newcastle UnitedA2–125,115Martin, Finney
2914 February 1953Cardiff CityH0–021,619
3021 February 1953Sheffield WednesdayA0–140,209
3128 February 1953Manchester UnitedH3–130,219Brown, Martin
327 March 1953PortsmouthA1–125,370Oscroft
3314 March 1953Bolton WanderersH1–228,232Brown
3425 March 1953Aston VillaA1–115,056Thomson
3528 March 1953SunderlandH3–019,611Brown, Connor
363 April 1953Tottenham HotspurA0–135,606
374 April 1953Wolverhampton WanderersA0–338,000
386 April 1953Tottenham HotspurH2–025,346Brown, Thomson
3911 April 1953Charlton AthleticH1–027,087Brown
4015 April 1953BlackpoolA1–113,280Mountford
4118 April 1953ArsenalA1–347,376Brown
4225 April 1953Derby CountyH1–229,597Bowyer

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R310 January 1953WrexhamH2–136,361Finney, Whiston
R431 January 1953Halifax TownA0–134,788

Squad statistics