# 1973–74 Stoke City F.C. season

The 1973–74 season was Stoke City's 67th season in the Football League and the 43rd in the First Division.
The season started well for Stoke as they won the short lived Watney Cup prior to the start of the new campaign. But their league form was poor and by January they were in the bottom six. But the signing of Alan Hudson from Chelsea sparked an upturn in results which accumulated in beating Leeds United 3–2 in February ending their 29 match un-beaten run. Stoke continued to climb the table and after remaining unbeaten in their final nine fixtures they took 5th position in the table and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

## Season review
### League

Stoke, with no major summer signings, kicked off the 1973–74 season with George Eastham as assistant manager and the team got off to a fine start, winning the Watney Cup by beating Hull City 2–0 in the final. The opening league form though, was poor although there was a glimmer of hope as Nantwich born Dave Goodwin made a goal-scoring debut against West Ham United. By January 1974 Stoke were struggling in 17th position and the home support was slowly falling and Tony Waddington decided to sell the promising Stewart Jump to Malcolm Allison's Crystal Palace for £75,000 which raised a few questions from the supporters.
But there was method to the manager's apparent madness as he pulled off another major transfer swoop when he paid £240,000 for Chelsea's Alan Hudson. Hudson was an instant hit with the Stoke fans and in his debut against Liverpool he was named as man of the match, helping Stoke to a 1–1 draw. Stoke's next home match against Hudson's old team Chelsea was the first League match to be played on a Sunday, Stoke winning 1–0 in front of 31,985. Another big attendance, saw City's next home match against high-flying Leeds United who had gone 29 matches without defeat. At the time Don Revie's side were nine points clear at the top and they looked to be increasing their lead as they raced into a 2–0 lead, but Stoke rising to the challenge levelled before half time before Denis Smith grabbed the winner and Leeds' magnificent run was over, but they still took the First Division title. Stoke lost just twice in the final 23 matches and raised up the table to claim 5th place and so qualifying for next season's UEFA Cup.

### FA Cup

Despite scoring twice at Bolton Wanderers Stoke lost 3–2 in the third round.

### League Cup

After narrow wins over Chelsea and Middlesbrough, Coventry City knocked Stoke out with a narrow victory of their own.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 3 | Derby County | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 52 | 42 | 1.238 | 48 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 67 | 58 | 1.155 | 47 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Stoke City | 42 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 54 | 42 | 1.286 | 46 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | Burnley | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 56 | 53 | 1.057 | 46 | |
| 7 | Everton | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 50 | 48 | 1.042 | 44 | |

## Results

Stoke's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League First Division

| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 1 | 25 August 1973 | Liverpool | A | 0–1 | 52,938 | |
| 2 | 29 August 1973 | Manchester United | A | 0–1 | 43,614 | |
| 3 | 1 September 1973 | Manchester City | H | 1–1 | 22,436 | Greenhoff 21' |
| 4 | 5 September 1973 | Everton | H | 0–0 | 22,435 | |
| 5 | 8 September 1973 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 3–3 | 18,118 | Hurst (2) 26', 67', Smith 64' |
| 6 | 11 September 1973 | Everton | A | 1–1 | 20,242 | Greenhoff 65' |
| 7 | 15 September 1973 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–1 | 17,096 | Hurst 72' |
| 8 | 22 September 1973 | Arsenal | A | 1–2 | 30,578 | Greenhoff 35' |
| 9 | 29 September 1973 | West Ham United | H | 2–0 | 16,395 | Goodwin 40', Hurst 68' |
| 10 | 6 October 1973 | Leeds United | A | 1–1 | 36,562 | Smith 89' |
| 11 | 13 October 1973 | Sheffield United | H | 1–2 | 17,975 | Colquhoun 30' (o.g.) |
| 12 | 20 October 1973 | Southampton | A | 0–3 | 15,521 | |
| 13 | 27 October 1973 | Coventry City | H | 3–0 | 17,421 | Greenhoff (2) 6', 75', Hurst 72' (pen) |
| 14 | 3 November 1973 | Newcastle United | A | 1–2 | 27,941 | Ritchie 52' |
| 15 | 10 November 1973 | Norwich City | H | 2–0 | 15,363 | Ritchie 33', Goodwin 87' |
| 16 | 17 November 1973 | Birmingham City | H | 5–2 | 19,179 | Ritchie (2) 10' 83', Robertson 25', Hurst 60', Mahoney 70' |
| 17 | 24 November 1973 | Burnley | A | 0–1 | 14,478 | |
| 18 | 8 December 1973 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–2 | 14,034 | Ritchie 62' |
| 19 | 15 December 1973 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–3 | 13,843 | Smith 63', Robertson 62' |
| 20 | 22 December 1973 | West Ham United | A | 2–0 | 16,513 | Robertson 49', Greenhoff 84' |
| 21 | 26 December 1973 | Derby County | H | 0–0 | 24,045 | |
| 22 | 29 December 1973 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 4–1 | 18,910 | Mahoney 49', Pejic 60', Ritchie 79', Greenhoff 85' |
| 23 | 1 January 1974 | Manchester City | A | 0–0 | 35,009 | |
| 24 | 12 January 1974 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–1 | 18,581 | Hurst 70' |
| 25 | 19 January 1974 | Liverpool | H | 1–1 | 32,789 | Hurst 67' |
| 26 | 27 January 1974 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 31,985 | Hurst 80' (pen) |
| 27 | 2 February 1974 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | 30,128 | Ritchie 68' |
| 28 | 16 February 1974 | Sheffield United | A | 0–0 | 19,972 | |
| 29 | 23 February 1974 | Leeds United | H | 3–2 | 39,598 | Pejic 27', Hudson 35', Smith 68' |
| 30 | 2 March 1974 | Derby County | A | 1–1 | 28,176 | Ritchie 55' |
| 31 | 9 March 1974 | Coventry City | A | 0–2 | 25,136 | |
| 32 | 16 March 1974 | Southampton | H | 4–1 | 20,415 | Hurst 13', Ritchie (3) 50', 75', 80' |
| 33 | 23 March 1974 | Norwich City | A | 0–4 | 19,842 | |
| 34 | 30 March 1974 | Arsenal | H | 0–0 | 18,532 | |
| 35 | 3 April 1974 | Newcastle United | H | 2–1 | 16,437 | Greenhoff 23', Mahoney 57' |
| 36 | 6 April 1974 | Burnley | H | 4–0 | 19,253 | Ritchie 28' 80' (2 pen), Greenhoff 31', Hudson 77' |
| 37 | 13 April 1974 | Birmingham City | A | 0–0 | 29,467 | |
| 38 | 15 April 1974 | Leicester City | H | 1–0 | 21,468 | Hurst 87' |
| 39 | 16 April 1974 | Leicester City | A | 1–1 | 21,682 | Hurst 40' |
| 40 | 20 April 1974 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–0 | 20,189 | Haslegrave 44' |
| 41 | 27 April 1974 | Chelsea | A | 1–0 | 17,150 | Hudson 50' |
| 42 | 29 April 1974 | Manchester United | H | 1–0 | 27,392 | Ritchie 30' |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R3 | 6 January 1974 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–3 | 39,138 | Ritchie 65', Haslegrave 84' |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R2 | 8 October 1973 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 17,281 | Smith 48' |
| R3 | 31 October 1973 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–1 | 19,194 | Pejic 50' |
| R3 Replay | 6 November 1973 | Middlesbrough | A | 2–1 (aet) | 26,063 | Greenhoff 39', Pejic 106' |
| R4 | 20 November 1973 | Coventry City | A | 1–2 | 17,483 | Hurst 35' |

### Texaco Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R1 1st leg | 19 September 1973 | Birmingham City | H | 0–0 | 9,530 | |
| R1 2nd leg | 2 October 1973 | Birmingham City | A | 0–0 (1–3 pens) | 13,433 | |

### Watney Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| Quarter Final | 11 August 1973 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–0 | 17,500 | Hurst 62' |
| Semi Final | 15 August 1973 | Bristol City | H | 4–1 | 13,812 | Hurst, Pejic, Greenhoff, Conroy |
| Final | 18 August 1973 | Hull City | H | 2–0 | 18,159 | Greenhoff (2) 16', 67' |

### Friendlies

| Game | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| 1 | Manchester United | H | 1–2 |
| 2 | Manchester City | A | 1–3 |
| 3 | Hamilton Academical | A | 2–1 |
| 4 | Anorthosis | A | 7–1 |
| 5 | Aris Limassol | A | 3–2 |
| 6 | EPA Larnaca | A | 5–1 |
| 7 | Levski Spartak | A | 0–1 |

## Squad statistics

| Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Texaco Cup | Texaco Cup | Watney Cup | Watney Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | John Farmer | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| GK | Mike McDonald | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6(1) | 0 |
| DF | Alan Bloor | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| DF | Alan Dodd | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| DF | Jackie Marsh | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| DF | Mike Pejic | 41 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 51 | 5 |
| DF | Eric Skeels | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 17(1) | 0 |
| DF | Denis Smith | 41 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 5 |
| MF | Terry Conroy | 5(4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10(4) | 1 |
| MF | George Eastham | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| MF | Sean Haslegrave | 27 | 1 | 0(1) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36(1) | 2 |
| MF | Alan Hudson | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| MF | Stewart Jump | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3(2) | 0 |
| MF | Terry Lees | 3(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3(1) | 0 |
| MF | John Mahoney | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 3 |
| MF | Kenny Raper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MF | Jimmy Robertson | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 3 |
| FW | Dave Goodwin | 4(1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6(1) | 2 |
| FW | Jimmy Greenhoff | 39 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 47 | 13 |
| FW | Geoff Hurst | 35 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 45 | 15 |
| FW | Ian Moores | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | John Ritchie | 26(4) | 14 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33(4) | 15 |
| – | Own goals | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 |