# 1944–45 Stoke City F.C. season

The 1944–45 season was Stoke City's tenth season in the non-competitive War League.
In 1939 World War II was declared and the Football League was cancelled. In its place were formed War Leagues and cups, based on geographical lines rather than based on previous league placement. However, none of these were considered to be competitive football, and thus their records are not recognised by the Football League and thus not included in official records.

## Season review

Tommy Sale now entering the twilight zone of his eventful career again went goal crazy in the 1944–45 season, scoring 34 goals in 40 appearances. In league action, neighbours Port Vale were taken for 14 goals, Stoke winning 8–1 at home and 6–2 away all in the space of eight days (17–24 February 1945) and indeed, during that months Stoke hit 24 times in just four matches. Overall Stoke's form was not that great despite being in fine goalscoring form and they took 11th place in the first phase and 17th in the second.

## Results

Stoke's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League North 1st Phase

| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 1 | 26 August 1944 | Aston Villa | A | 0–4 | 25,000 | |
| 2 | 2 September 1944 | Aston Villa | H | 3–1 | 10,000 | Pointon, Sale (2) |
| 3 | 9 September 1944 | Northampton Town | H | 5–0 | 9,000 | Pointon, Bowyer, Steele (3) |
| 4 | 16 September 1944 | Northampton Town | A | 1–1 | 2,500 | Bowyer |
| 5 | 23 September 1944 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–0 | 13,806 | Pointon (2) |
| 6 | 30 September 1944 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–4 | 12,134 | Sale |
| 7 | 7 October 1944 | Walsall | A | 1–1 | 5,000 | Sale |
| 8 | 14 October 1944 | Walsall | H | 0–2 | 4,000 | |
| 9 | 21 October 1944 | Birmingham | H | 0–0 | 6,000 | |
| 10 | 28 October 1944 | Birmingham | A | 1–1 | 8,000 | Steele |
| 11 | 4 November 1944 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 3–2 | 18,656 | Sale (2), Matthews |
| 12 | 11 November 1944 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–3 | 8,067 | Sale, Steele |
| 13 | 18 November 1944 | Port Vale | H | 2–0 | 18,000 | Bowyer (2) |
| 14 | 25 November 1944 | Port Vale | A | 0–3 | 9,618 | |
| 15 | 2 December 1944 | Coventry City | A | 1–0 | 6,405 | Sale |
| 16 | 9 December 1944 | Coventry City | H | 5–0 | 4,020 | Sale (3), Bowyer, Mannion |
| 17 | 16 December 1944 | Leicester City | H | 5–2 | 5,000 | Sale (2), Matthews (2), Frame (o.g.) |
| 18 | 23 December 1944 | Leicester City | A | 5–1 | 5,000 | Sale (2), Matthews, Bowyer, G Mountford |
| 19 | 26 December 1944 | Derby County | H | 4–2 | 8,000 | Sale (3), Basnett |

### Football League North 2nd Phase

| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 1 | 2 April 1945 | Derby County | A | 1–2 | 22,000 | Sellars |
| 2 | 7 April 1945 | Manchester United | A | 1–6 | 45,616 | Chilton (o.g.) |
| 3 | 14 April 1945 | Manchester United | H | 1–4 | 5,000 | Whalley (o.g.) |
| 4 | 5 May 1945 | Port Vale | H | 6–0 | 800 | G Mountford (4), Sellars, Sale |
| 5 | 9 May 1945 | Port Vale | H | 4–2 | 5,000 | Sellars (2), Kirton, Jackson |
| 6 | 19 May 1945 | Everton | H | 5–1 | 2,500 | G Mountford, Jackson, Sale, Sellars, Bayford |
| 7 | 21 May 1945 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 2–3 | 4,000 | Jackson (2) |
| 8 | 26 May 1945 | Everton | A | 2–3 | 8,000 | Bowyer, Sale |

### Football League War Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| QR | 30 December 1944 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–0 | 9,896 | Bowyer, Jackson |
| QR | 6 January 1945 | Wrexham | H | 2–2 | 12,000 | Sale (2) |
| QR | 13 January 1945 | Wrexham | A | 1–2 | 8,000 | G Mountford |
| QR | 3 February 1945 | Chester | A | 3–2 | 3,500 | G Mountford, Basnett, Sale |
| QR | 10 February 1945 | Chester | H | 7–0 | 12,000 | Basnett (3), Sale (3), F Mountford |
| QR | 17 February 1945 | Port Vale | H | 8–1 | 13,000 | Basnett, G Mountford (5), Soo |
| QR | 24 February 1945 | Port Vale | A | 6–2 | 18,000 | Sale (2), Steele (3), Soo |
| QR | 3 March 1945 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 3–1 | 17,784 | Sale (2), G Mountford |
| QR | 10 March 1945 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 1–2 | 10,000 | Liddle |
| QR | 17 March 1945 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 2–2 | 11,000 | Sale (2) |
| QR | 24 March 1945 | Bury | A | 2–3 | 11,629 | Steele (2) |
| QR | 31 March 1945 | Bury | H | 3–0 | 18,000 | Sale, G Mountford, Basnett |
| R1 1st leg | 21 April 1945 | Aston Villa | H | 1–0 | 6,000 | Jackson |
| R1 2nd leg | 28 April 1945 | Aston Villa | A | 0–2 | 15,000 | |

## Squad statistics

| Pos. | Name | Matches | Matches |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Dennis Herod | 25 | 0 |
| GK | Emmanuel Foster | 6 | 0 |
| GK | William Leigh | 2 | 0 |
| GK | George Marks | 2 | 0 |
| GK | Edgar Podmore | 6 | 0 |
| DF | Harry Brigham | 36 | 0 |
| DF | Roy Brown | 2 | 0 |
| DF | Stuart Cowden | 15 | 0 |
| DF | Neil Franklin | 32 | 0 |
| DF | John McCue | 33 | 0 |
| DF | Billy Mould | 2 | 0 |
| DF | John Sellars | 19 | 5 |
| DF | Cyril Watkin | 9 | 0 |
| DF | Stan Williams | 3 | 0 |
| MF | Arthur Cunliffe | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Bill Kinson | 4 | 0 |
| MF | Jock Kirton | 11 | 1 |
| MF | Bobby Liddle | 11 | 1 |
| MF | John Mannion | 5 | 1 |
| MF | George Mountford | 23 | 15 |
| MF | Alexander Ormston | 4 | 0 |
| MF | Tommy Pearson | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Frank Soo | 8 | 3 |
| FW | Albert Basnett | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Fred Basnett | 17 | 7 |
| FW | Eric Bayford | 2 | 1 |
| FW | Frank Bowyer | 23 | 8 |
| FW | Thomas Howshall | 1 | 0 |
| FW | John Jackson | 23 | 6 |
| FW | Stanley Matthews | 15 | 4 |
| FW | Frank Mountford | 40 | 1 |
| FW | Syd Peppitt | 2 | 0 |
| FW | Bill Pointon | 8 | 4 |
| FW | Tommy Sale | 40 | 34 |
| FW | Freddie Steele | 17 | 10 |
| FW | Bobby Windsor | 2 | 0 |