1957–58 Stoke City F.C. season


The 1957–58 season was Stoke City's 51st season in the Football League and the 18th in the Second Division.
The pressure was now beginning to increase on Frank Taylor with the club gearing up for another season in the second tier. Taylor believed he was building a useful and settled squad however the supporters were starting to get impatient with him. The 1957–58 season was again a huge disappointment as after a good first half of the season was followed up by a poor second half and they ended up in 11th position.

Season review

League

Prior to the start of the 1957–58 season both George Bourne and John Malkin had to retire from playing due to injury. Despite this the management left the transfer market alone during the summer of 1957 with Frank Taylor saying: I am slowly getting together a useful squad and building a settled side. However the club was still short on forward players with only five available these of Frank Bowyer, Neville Coleman, Johnny King, George Kelly and Harry Oscroft. Yet to their credit these five kept the goals flowing with Kelly top scoring with 24 to his name.
The 1957–58 season again proved to be a big disappointment and whilst until December Stoke were in the top two, they ended up in 11th place with absolutely nothing to show for the early efforts. Taylor did go out and spend £11,000 on Dennis Wilshaw from Wolverhampton Wanderers and long serving Frank Mountford bowed out after eight years and took up a coaching role a position he would keep until 1980.
The fruits of the club's youth policy were slowly play dividends with the emergence this season of Tony Allen a quality full back who go on to win international honours with England. Peter Bullock also came through the youth team whilst he did not have a very successful career with Stoke he made his debut against Swansea Town at the age of 16 and 163 days old and he scored becoming the club's youngest player and goalscorer.

FA Cup

Stoke made in-roads in the FA Cup overcoming Aston Villa in a 2nd replay and then Middlesbrough to reach the fifth round where they came up against a powerful Bolton Wanderers side who with the help of Nat Lofthouse beat Stoke 3–1 as they went on to lift the cup.

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 Second Division

MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
124 August 1957MiddlesbroughH4–123,286Oscroft, King, Kelly
226 August 1957Bristol CityH3–023,001King, Kelly, Bowyer
331 August 1957Leyton OrientA2–017,497Kelly, Oscroft
43 September 1957Bristol CityA1–225,432Kelly
57 September 1957Charlton AthleticH2–226,848Kelly, Oscroft
69 September 1957Bristol RoversH3–523,090Kelly, Coleman, Asprey
714 September 1957Doncaster RoversA1–09,157King
816 September 1957Bristol RoversA0–220,022
921 September 1957Rotherham UnitedH4–120,487Kelly, Anderson
1023 September 1957LiverpoolH1–223,231Twentyman
1128 September 1957Huddersfield TownA0–112,467
125 October 1957Grimsby TownH4–118,540Kelly, Ratcliffe, King
1312 October 1957Lincoln CityH1–120,791King
1419 October 1957Notts CountyA2–113,400King, Kelly
1526 October 1957Ipswich TownH5–117,469Acres, Kelly, Oscroft
162 November 1957Blackburn RoversA0–126,100
174 November 1957Cardiff CityH3–020,116Coleman, Bowyer
189 November 1957Sheffield UnitedH2–321,602Coleman, Bowyer
1916 November 1957West Ham UnitedA0–523,230
2023 November 1957BarnsleyH3–117,555King, Kelly, Ratcliffe
2130 November 1957FulhamA4–319,781King, Coleman
229 December 1957Swansea TownH6–224,113King, Bowyer, Kelly
2314 December 1957Derby CountyA0–024,358
2421 December 1957MiddlesbroughA3–119,220Kelly, Coleman
2526 December 1957Cardiff CityA2–530,240Kelly
2628 December 1957Leyton OrientH1–327,568Coleman
2711 January 1958Charlton AthleticA0–320,157
2818 January 1958Doncaster RoversH0–021,466
291 February 1958Rotherham UnitedA2–07,921Bowyer, Ratcliffe
308 February 1958Huddersfield TownH1–116,489Kelly
3122 February 1958BarnsleyA2–114,182Bowyer, Short
321 March 1958Notts CountyH0–113,425
338 March 1958Ipswich TownA3–117,169Coleman, Wilshaw
3415 March 1958Blackburn RoversH2–424,107Coleman, Wilshaw
3522 March 1958Sheffield UnitedA0–319,540
3629 March 1958West Ham UnitedH1–414,514King
375 April 1958Lincoln CityA3–18,169Oscroft, Wilshaw
387 April 1958LiverpoolA0–339,449
3912 April 1958FulhamH1–218,918King
4019 April 1958Swansea TownA1–423,345Bullock
4122 April 1958Grimsby TownA0–010,579
4226 April 1958Derby CountyH2–110,879Wilshaw

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
R34 January 1958Aston VillaH1–145,800Kelly
R3 Replay8 January 1958Aston VillaA3–3 38,939Oscroft, Coleman, Kelly
R3 2nd Replay13 January 1958Aston VillaN2–037,702Coleman, Cairns
R425 January 1958MiddlesbroughH3–143,756Wilshaw
R515 February 1958Bolton WanderersA1–356,667Cairns

Squad statistics