# 1993–94 Stoke City F.C. season

The 1993–94 season was Stoke City's 87th season in the Football League and 31st in the second tier, now known as the First Division following the formation of the Premier League.
Stoke, now back in the second tier for the first time since 1990, were now looking to gain promotion back to English football's top tier and with Lou Macari in charge it seemed to be a real possibility. Icelandic international Toddy Örlygsson arrived from Nottingham Forest which signalled the club's intentions but they were rocked in October when manager Macari decided to join boyhood club Celtic and another Scotsman, Joe Jordan was appointed manager. Unlike Macari, Jordan was not a popular person with the supporters due to his lack of passion and style of play. Results were okay and a 10th-place finish was the final outcome.

## Season review
### League

In the summer of 1993 brewer Carling was signed up as the new shirt sponsor and in the build-up to the 1993–94 season Macari sought out to strengthen his squad in readiness for a tough looking First Division. In came Icelandic international midfielder Toddy Örlygsson and proven goalscorer Gary Bannister both from Nottingham Forest, Simon Sturridge from Birmingham City, goalkeeper Mark Prudhoe from Darlington and Martin Carruthers from Aston Villa, whilst Micky Gynn and Kenny Lowe arrived on free transfers. Goalkeeper Carl Muggleton came in from Leicester City and Kevin Russell joined Burnley for £120,000.
A good crowd of 18,766 attended the opening match of the season as Stoke fell to a poor 2–1 defeat to Millwall and questions were asked about the quality of Macari's players in the much tougher First Division. And with Stoke failing to find any real form despite a fantastic victory against Manchester United in the League Cup the fans were shocked when star striker Mark Stein, who by October had already scored 13 goals, was allowed to join Chelsea for a club record fee of £1.4 million. Stein had become an idol amongst the supporters and felt let down by the board for accepting Chelsea's offer. Come November and Stoke were struggling in the bottom half of the table and soon after manager Lou Macari left for one of his former club's, Celtic. The new manager was another former Scottish international with a similar career to that of Macari, Joe Jordan. Stoke supporters felt that the appointment of Jordan was the wrong decision with club legend Denis Smith the preferred man to take the position.
They eventually accepted Jordan as the new manager although his style of play soon began to cause grumblings from the terraces but the side slowly got results going if not the quality of football. In early 1994 the club was rocked by news that former manager Tony Waddington had died and thousands of supporters lined the streets on the day of his funeral to pay their respects to Stoke's most successful manager. Stoke huffed and puffed as they tried to claim a play-off place but missed out and finished an eventful season in 10th place.

### FA Cup

After overcoming plucky non-league Bath City in a third round replay, 4–1 at Twerton Park, Stoke lost to Premiership side Oldham Athletic.

### League Cup

Stoke knocked out Mansfield Town which set up a clash with Manchester United. Stoke produced a fantastic first leg performance and won 2–1 thanks to two goals from Stein, but they could not repeat the feat in the second leg and lost 2–0.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 60 | 47 | +13 | 68 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 67 |
| 10 | Stoke City | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 57 | 59 | −2 | 67 |
| 11 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 61 | 58 | +3 | 65 |
| 12 | Sunderland | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 54 | 57 | −3 | 65 |

## Results
### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League First Division

| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 1 | 14 August 1993 | Millwall | H | 1–2 | 18,766 | McCarthy 28' (o.g.) |
| 2 | 21 August 1993 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | 11,328 | Stein 69' |
| 3 | 28 August 1993 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–0 | 17,948 | Stein 68' |
| 4 | 4 September 1993 | Portsmouth | A | 3–3 | 12,552 | Stein (2) 17', 65', Regis 84' |
| 5 | 11 September 1993 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1–2 | 17,296 | Martindale 25' (o.g.) |
| 6 | 14 September 1993 | Middlesbrough | A | 2–1 | 13,189 | Carruthers 42', Foley 84' |
| 7 | 19 September 1993 | Nottingham Forest | A | 3–2 | 20,843 | Regis 16', Stein (2) 25', 49' (pen) |
| 8 | 25 September 1993 | Southend United | H | 0–1 | 16,145 | |
| 9 | 2 October 1993 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–4 | 12,880 | Stein 75' |
| 10 | 10 October 1993 | Oxford United | A | 0–1 | 6,489 | |
| 11 | 16 October 1993 | Grimsby Town | H | 1–0 | 14,696 | Örlygsson 69' |
| 12 | 23 October 1993 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | 20,421 | Stein 33' |
| 13 | 30 October 1993 | Barnsley | H | 5–4 | 14,674 | (o.g.) (2), Gleghorn 50', Overson 55', Carruthers 64' |
| 14 | 3 November 1993 | Sunderland | H | 1–0 | 13,551 | Örlygsson 86' |
| 15 | 6 November 1993 | Watford | A | 3–1 | 7,767 | Örlygsson 10', Carruthers 53', Regis 84' |
| 16 | 14 November 1993 | Leicester City | H | 1–0 | 15,984 | Gleghorn 43' |
| 17 | 20 November 1993 | Notts County | A | 0–2 | 9,815 | |
| 18 | 27 November 1993 | Luton Town | A | 2–6 | 7,384 | Regis 3', Linton (o.g.) 41' |
| 19 | 4 December 1993 | Watford | H | 2–0 | 13,465 | Bannister 53', Regis 63' |
| 20 | 11 December 1993 | Middlesbrough | H | 3–1 | 13,777 | Bannister 18', Örlygsson (2) 32', 69' |
| 21 | 19 December 1993 | Millwall | A | 0–2 | 8,930 | |
| 22 | 26 December 1993 | Birmingham City | H | 2–1 | 16,584 | Örlygsson 21', Sandford 69' |
| 23 | 28 December 1993 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–2 | 8,416 | |
| 24 | 1 January 1994 | Derby County | H | 2–1 | 20,307 | Foley 35', Örlygsson 49' |
| 25 | 3 January 1994 | Bristol City | A | 0–0 | 11,132 | |
| 26 | 15 January 1994 | Grimsby Town | A | 0–0 | 8,577 | |
| 27 | 22 January 1994 | Oxford United | H | 1–1 | 14,689 | Regis 12' |
| 28 | 5 February 1994 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–1 | 22,579 | Overson 53' |
| 29 | 12 February 1994 | Barnsley | A | 0–3 | 7,561 | |
| 30 | 19 February 1994 | Peterborough United | A | 1–1 | 7,428 | Gleghorn 45' |
| 31 | 23 February 1994 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–0 | 14,257 | Örlygsson 45', Regis 85' |
| 32 | 26 February 1994 | Portsmouth | H | 2–0 | 14,506 | Örlygsson 45' (pen), Carruthers 84' |
| 33 | 5 March 1994 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–0 | 16,060 | |
| 34 | 12 March 1994 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0–1 | 20,550 | |
| 35 | 15 March 1994 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0–2 | 6,346 | |
| 36 | 19 March 1994 | Southend United | A | 0–0 | 4,542 | |
| 37 | 26 March 1994 | Crystal Palace | H | 0–2 | 18,071 | |
| 38 | 30 March 1994 | Bristol City | H | 3–0 | 13,208 | Adams (2) 8', 78', Biggins 59' (pen) |
| 39 | 1 April 1994 | Birmingham City | A | 1–3 | 13,568 | Carruthers 33' |
| 40 | 4 April 1994 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–0 | 13,569 | Örlygsson 31' |
| 41 | 9 April 1994 | Derby County | A | 2–4 | 16,593 | Biggins 77' (pen), Adams 81' |
| 42 | 13 April 1994 | Peterborough United | H | 3–0 | 10,181 | Regis 14', Biggins 36', Walters 79' |
| 43 | 16 April 1994 | Sunderland | A | 1–0 | 17,406 | Walters 28' |
| 44 | 23 April 1994 | Notts County | H | 0–0 | 16,470 | |
| 45 | 30 April 1994 | Leicester City | A | 1–1 | 19,291 | Regis 48' |
| 46 | 8 May 1994 | Luton Town | H | 2–2 | 15,911 | Biggins 16', Regis 32' |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R3 | 8 January 1994 | Bath City | H | 0–0 | 14,159 | |
| R3 Replay | 18 January 1994 | Bath City | A | 4–1 | 6,213 | Regis (2) 5', 57', Cranson 38', Örlygsson 83' |
| R4 | 29 January 1994 | Oldham Athletic | A | 0–0 | 14,465 | |
| R4 Replay | 9 February 1994 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0–1 | 19,871 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 18 August 1993 | Mansfield Town | H | 2–2 | 8,976 | Gleghorn 2', Carruthers 80' |
| R1 2nd Leg | 24 August 1993 | Mansfield Town | A | 3–1 (aet) | 4,214 | Stein (2) 17', 93', Regis 117' |
| R2 1st Leg | 22 September 1993 | Manchester United | H | 2–1 | 23,327 | Stein (2) 32', 74' |
| R2 2nd Leg | 6 October 1993 | Manchester United | A | 0–2 | 41,387 | |

### Anglo-Italian Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| Qualifying Match 1 | 31 August 1993 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 3–3 | 9,092 | Carruthers (2) 23', 38', Gleghorn 68' |
| Qualifying Match 2 | 7 September 1993 | Birmingham City | H | 2–0 | 8,633 | Cranson 4', Stein 51' (pen) |
| Group Match 1 | 12 October 1993 | Cosenza | H | 2–1 | 5,183 | Carruthers 18', Örlygsson 78' |
| Group Match 2 | 10 November 1993 | Fiorentina | H | 0–0 | 8,616 | |
| Group Match 3 | 16 November 1993 | Padova | A | 0–3 | 1,495 | |
| Group Match 4 | 22 December 1993 | Pescara | A | 1–2 | 1,850 | Regis 43' |

### Friendlies

| Match | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| 1 | Simba SC | A | 3–1 |
| 2 | Pamba | A | 2–1 |
| 3 | Young Africans | A | 4–0 |
| 4 | Tanzamia Breweries | A | 3–2 |
| 5 | Real Sociedad | H | 2–0 |
| 6 | Newcastle Town | A | 4–0 |
| 7 | Telford United | A | 11–1 |
| 8 | Northwich Victoria | A | 1–1 |

## Squad statistics

| Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Anglo-Italian Cup | Anglo-Italian Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Gordon Marshall | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| GK | Carl Muggleton | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| GK | Mark Prudhoe | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| DF | John Butler | 34(1) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 45(1) | 0 |
| DF | John Clark | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| DF | Ian Clarkson | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 18(1) | 0 |
| DF | Tom Cowan | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| DF | Ian Cranson | 44 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 57 | 2 |
| DF | Graham Harbey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DF | Graham Potter | 2(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4(1) | 0 |
| DF | Vince Overson | 39 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 52 | 2 |
| DF | Lee Sandford | 41(1) | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 53(1) | 1 |
| MF | Micky Adams | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| MF | Steve Foley | 42(1) | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 53(1) | 2 |
| MF | Nigel Gleghorn | 38(2) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 52(2) | 5 |
| MF | Micky Gynn | 14(7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(2) | 0 | 3(1) | 0 | 19(10) | 0 |
| MF | Dave Kevan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 2(1) | 0 |
| MF | Kenny Lowe | 3(6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7(6) | 0 |
| MF | Toddy Orlygsson | 42(3) | 10 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 55(3) | 12 |
| MF | Paul Ware | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Brett Williams | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | Simon Winstone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FW | Gary Bannister | 10(5) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 12(6) | 2 |
| FW | Wayne Biggins | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
| FW | Martin Carruthers | 24(10) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1(2) | 1 | 4(1) | 3 | 31(13) | 9 |
| FW | Tony Kelly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 |
| FW | Dave Regis | 33(5) | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 43(5) | 14 |
| FW | Graham Shaw | 2(2) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 2(4) | 0 |
| FW | Mark Stein | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 13 |
| FW | Simon Sturridge | 5(8) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2(2) | 0 | 9(11) | 0 |
| FW | Mark Walters | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| – | Own goals | – | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 |