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1948–49 Stoke City F.C. season

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Stoke City
1948–49 season
ChairmanMr H. Booth
ManagerBob McGrory
StadiumVictoria Ground
Football League First Division11th (41 Points)
FA CupFifth Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Frank Bowyer
(21)

All: Frank Bowyer
(21)
Highest home attendance45,803 vs Manchester United
(16 October 1948)
Lowest home attendance15,949 vs Huddersfield Town
(5 March 1949)
Average home league attendance29,943

The 1948–49 season was Stoke City's 42nd season in the Football League and the 28th in the First Division.

It was again a disappointing season for Stoke as a number of players started voicing their displeasure at manager Bob McGrory's strict discipline. A number of players handed in transfer requests as discomfort began to affect the club. Results on the pitch were inconsistent and a mid table finish of 11th was the final outcome.[1]

Season review

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League

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A strange feeling of disharmony set in at the Victoria Ground prior to the start of the 1948–49 season and Stoke received a number of transfer requests from players on the slightest whim.[1] The previous season's main signings Jimmy McAlinden and Tommy Kiernan both departed after just a year with the club losing around £2,000 on the pair.[1] The only other player whose wish to leave was accepted was Bert Mitchell.[1] The 4 December 1948 was Stoke's red letter day as they fielded a team against Blackpool that cost a mere £10 and with all of them from the Stoke-on-Trent area.[1] The only blotch on the claim however is that Frank Mountford was born in Doncaster but he moved to Stoke when he was about three years old.[1]

A mid table position of 11th was all that Stoke could have expected from an inconsistent season with 16 wins and 17 defeats.[1] One key point during the season was manager Bob McGrory's decision to employ Frank Bowyer as an out-and-out centre forward and he scored 21 goals.[1] Surprisingly, when the campaign ended Bowyer asked for a transfer which was accepted but he soon had a change of heart and would remain at the club until 1960.[1]

FA Cup

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Stoke beat Swindon Town 3–1 in the third round before being drawn against Stanley Matthews' Blackpool.[1] Stoke overcame the "Tangerines" 1–0 in a replay. Around 46,738 fans assembled to watch Stoke take on Third Division Hull City but much to the shock of the Stoke supporters, Hull won 2–0 on an awful Victoria Ground pitch.[1]

Final league table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
9 Charlton Athletic 42 15 12 15 63 67 0.940 42
10 Aston Villa 42 16 10 16 60 76 0.789 42
11 Stoke City 42 16 9 17 66 68 0.971 41
12 Liverpool 42 13 14 15 53 43 1.233 40
13 Chelsea 42 12 14 16 69 68 1.015 38
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results

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Stoke's score comes first

Legend

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Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division

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Match Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
1 21 August 1948 Charlton Athletic H 2–2 29,975 Kiernan, F Mountford
2 25 August 1948 Arsenal A 0–3 47,000
3 28 August 1948 Manchester City A 0–0 47,450
4 30 August 1948 Arsenal H 1–0 39,595 Steele
5 4 September 1948 Portsmouth H 0–1 30,036
6 8 September 1948 Everton A 1–2 42,818 Bowyer
7 11 September 1948 Newcastle United A 2–2 59,262 Bowyer, Steele
8 13 September 1948 Everton H 1–0 25,404 Steele
9 18 September 1948 Middlesbrough H 3–0 28,854 Steele, Bowyer (2)
10 25 September 1948 Birmingham City A 1–2 49,800 Bowyer
11 2 October 1948 Chelsea H 4–3 30,934 Bowyer, Steele (2), Baker
12 9 October 1948 Huddersfield Town A 3–1 19,381 Bowyer, Baker, G Mountford
13 16 October 1948 Manchester United H 2–1 45,830 G Mountford, Steele
14 23 October 1948 Sheffield United A 2–2 29,374 G Mountford, Bowyer
15 30 October 1948 Aston Villa H 4–2 37,200 G Mountford, Bowyer, Peppitt, Ashton (o.g.)
16 6 November 1948 Sunderland A 1–1 41,871 Bowyer
17 13 November 1948 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 2–1 37,111 Bowyer (2)
18 20 November 1948 Bolton Wanderers A 1–2 40,000 Steele
19 27 November 1948 Liverpool H 3–0 29,607 Steele, F Mountford, Bowyer
20 4 December 1948 Blackpool A 1–2 30,000 Steele
21 11 December 1948 Derby County H 4–2 38,802 Steele (2), F Mountford (pen), Ormston
22 18 December 1948 Charlton Athletic A 1–4 32,000 Bowyer
23 25 December 1948 Burnley A 3–1 39,000 Bowyer (3)
24 27 December 1948 Burnley H 2–1 39,533 Steele (2)
25 1 January 1949 Manchester City H 2–3 27,379 Steele, Bowyer
26 15 January 1949 Portsmouth A 0–1 34,000
27 22 January 1949 Newcastle United H 1–1 39,377 Bowyer
28 19 February 1949 Birmingham City H 2–1 25,892 Steele, Sellars
29 26 February 1949 Chelsea A 2–2 39,652 Caton, G Mountford
30 5 March 1949 Huddersfield Town H 1–3 15,595 Bowyer
31 12 March 1949 Manchester United A 0–3 55,949
32 19 March 1949 Bolton Wanderers H 4–0 24,269 G Mountford (2), F Mountford, Hamlett (o.g.)
33 26 March 1949 Liverpool A 0–4 30,797
34 2 April 1949 Sunderland H 0–0 21,989
35 9 April 1949 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 1–3 35,000 Steele
36 15 April 1949 Preston North End A 1–2 37,000 Bowyer
37 16 April 1949 Sheffield United H 0–1 22,556
38 18 April 1949 Preston North End H 2–0 22,185 Steele, Peppitt
39 23 April 1949 Aston Villa A 1–2 40,000 Ormston
40 27 April 1949 Middlesbrough A 1–1 40,226 Peppitt
41 30 April 1949 Blackpool H 3–2 18,705 Peppitt, G Mountford, F Mountford (pen)
42 7 May 1949 Derby County A 1–4 28,616 Peppitt

FA Cup

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Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
R3 8 January 1949 Swindon Town A 3–1 26,335 Steele, G Mountford (2)
R4 29 January 1948 Blackpool H 1–1 45,000 F Mountford
R4 Replay 5 February 1949 Blackpool A 1–0 30,000 G Mountford
R5 12 February 1949 Hull City H 0–2 46,738

Squad statistics

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Pos. Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England Dennis Herod 41 0 4 0 45 0
GK England Norman Wilkinson 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF England Neil Franklin 36 0 4 0 40 0
DF England Eric Hampson 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF England Roy Jones 5 0 0 0 5 0
DF United States John Kirkby 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF England John McCue 39 0 1 0 40 0
DF England Harry Meakin 2 0 3 0 5 0
DF England Billy Mould 25 0 0 0 25 0
DF England Cyril Watkin 16 0 3 0 19 0
MF England Roy Brown 2 0 0 0 2 0
MF Scotland Jock Kirton 1 0 1 0 2 0
MF England Frank Mountford 40 5 4 1 44 6
MF England John Sellars 42 1 4 0 46 1
MF England Edward Wordley 1 0 0 0 1 0
FW England Frank Baker 17 2 0 0 17 2
FW England Frank Bowyer 31 21 4 0 35 21
FW England Bill Caton 10 1 0 0 10 1
FW Scotland Tommy Kiernan 4 1 0 0 4 1
FW Jimmy McAlinden 2 0 0 0 2 0
FW England John Malkin 6 0 0 0 6 0
FW England George Mountford 39 8 4 3 43 11
FW England Alexander Ormston 42 2 4 0 46 2
FW England Syd Peppitt 20 5 4 0 24 5
FW England Freddie Steele 38 18 4 1 42 19
Own goals 2 0 2

References

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