# 1971–72 Stoke City F.C. season

The 1971–72 season was Stoke City's 65th season in the Football League and the 41st in the First Division.
After 109 years of trying Stoke City finally won their first major trophy in March 1972 beating Chelsea 2–1 in the League Cup final at Wembley. They also reached the semi-final of the FA Cup for the second season running and again lost out to Arsenal. Their league campaign obviously took a hit with all the cup matches being played, Stoke finished in 17th position with 35 points. In total Stoke played 71 matches during a very busy season.

## Season review
### League

The Stoke fans were confident of seeing more good exciting attacking football again as the 1971–72 season commenced but overall league performances were bitterly disappointing, however in the cup competitions Stoke did themselves proud. With the cup matches obviously taking priority Stoke had a back-log of fixtures to play (six games in 17 days) and they failed to win any of them as they finished in 17th position with 35 points.

### FA Cup

Stoke had another run to the semi-final of the FA Cup after beating lower league sides, Chesterfield, Tranmere Rovers, Hull City and another two matches against Manchester United, Stoke faced Arsenal again. Villa Park hosted the tie and thanks to an own goal from Peter Simpson, Stoke scraped a 1–1 draw in a close match. The replay at Goodison Park was controversial. Stoke took an early lead through a penalty, but the "Gunners" won a controversial penalty of their own for a handball after a corner that was given despite Gordon Banks appearing to have been fouled beforehand. Arsenal converted the penalty. The "Gunners" then started controlling the match and scored a second goal, which nevertheless looked suspiciously offside, and that was how the match ended, as Stoke went down 2–1 and their hopes of achieving a Wembley double disappeared.

### League Cup

In the League Cup Stoke ousted Southport and Oxford United and then in the fourth round Stoke visited Old Trafford and held Manchester United to a 1–1 draw with John Ritchie cancelling out a goal from Alan Gowling. The replay attracted almost 41,000 fans to the Victoria Ground but this time there was no goals and third game was required. This was again staged at Stoke and two late goals sealed a 2–1 victory and passage to the last eight. At this stage of the season matches were coming thick and fast and a 4–2 win over Bristol Rovers saw Stoke enter the semi-finals of the League Cup where they met West Ham United over two legs.
Not only was this to be a memorable cup tie for Stoke, the encounter has also been described as "epic". In the 1st leg Stoke's hopes of reaching the final seemed to have disappeared when they lost 2–1 to home. However at West Ham, Ritchie levelled the aggregated score with 20 minutes left, and with just three of those remaining West Ham were awarded a penalty, a decision which angered Gordon Banks immensely. The England 'keeper was so psyched up that he dived and saved Geoff Hurst's spot kick superbly, Banks says that it was his most significant save of his career. And so to a third match, a replay at Hillsborough, was a tense 0–0 draw. The fourth meeting was staged at Old Trafford and another bumper crowd turned out to see the two sides do battle in a match that seemed to have everything. Bobby Ferguson, the "Hammers" goalkeeper was accidentally kicked on the head by Terry Conroy and Bobby Moore went in goal. He saved a Mike Bernard penalty but was beaten on the rebound. Ferguson returned and the game ebbed and flowed, and either side could have won. In the end it was Stoke with Conroy scoring the winning goal to send City through to their first major final.
The final took place on 4 March 1972 at Wembley against Chelsea in front of a crowd 97,852. Stoke showed no big match nerves and took an early lead through Terry Conroy, this prompted a response by Chelsea and just before the interval a rare mistake from Alan Bloor allowed Peter Osgood to level the scores. Stoke were not to be denied and on 73 minutes the veteran George Eastham scored the winning goal to earn Stoke their first major trophy.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 15 | Everton | 42 | 9 | 18 | 15 | 37 | 48 | 0.771 | 36 | |
| 16 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 42 | 54 | 0.778 | 35 | |
| 17 | Stoke City | 42 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 39 | 56 | 0.696 | 35 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 18 | Coventry City | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 44 | 67 | 0.657 | 33 | |
| 19 | Southampton | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 52 | 80 | 0.650 | 31 | |

## Results

Stoke's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League First Division

| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 1 | 14 August 1971 | Coventry City | A | 1–1 | 20,739 | Ritchie 46' |
| 2 | 17 August 1971 | Southampton | A | 1–3 | 18,382 | Greenhoff 82' |
| 3 | 21 August 1971 | Crystal Palace | H | 3–1 | 18,756 | Ritchie 20' (pen), Mahoney 44', Greenhoff 52' |
| 4 | 25 August 1971 | Leicester City | H | 3–1 | 21,678 | Ritchie 64', Bernard 78', Dobing 80' |
| 5 | 28 August 1971 | Arsenal | A | 1–0 | 36,637 | Ritchie 20' |
| 6 | 31 August 1971 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–0 | 19,017 | |
| 7 | 4 September 1971 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–1 | 20,021 | |
| 8 | 11 September 1971 | Derby County | A | 0–4 | 32,548 | |
| 9 | 18 September 1971 | Huddersfield Town | H | 1–0 | 16,463 | Conroy 25' |
| 10 | 25 September 1971 | West Ham United | A | 1–2 | 19,193 | Ritchie 58' |
| 11 | 2 October 1971 | Liverpool | H | 0–0 | 29,698 | |
| 12 | 9 October 1971 | Sheffield United | A | 3–2 | 35,371 | Ritchie 15', Smith 51', Conroy 81' |
| 13 | 16 October 1971 | Coventry City | H | 1–0 | 20,040 | Smith 82' |
| 14 | 23 October 1971 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–2 | 17,678 | Bernard 33' |
| 15 | 30 October 1971 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–0 | 28,348 | Mahoney (2) 49', 55' |
| 16 | 6 November 1971 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–0 | 19,207 | Greenhoff 42' (pen) |
| 17 | 13 November 1971 | Chelsea | H | 0–1 | 22,196 | |
| 18 | 20 November 1971 | Leeds United | A | 0–1 | 33,012 | |
| 19 | 27 November 1971 | Newcastle United | H | 3–3 | 16,815 | Ritchie 22', Conroy (2) 65', 70' |
| 20 | 4 December 1971 | Everton | A | 0–0 | 35,469 | |
| 21 | 11 December 1971 | Manchester United | H | 1–1 | 33,807 | Mahoney 27' |
| 22 | 13 December 1971 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–2 | 25,619 | |
| 23 | 27 December 1971 | Manchester City | H | 1–3 | 43,007 | Smith 90' |
| 24 | 4 January 1972 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–0 | 12,665 | |
| 25 | 8 January 1972 | Arsenal | H | 0–0 | 18,965 | |
| 26 | 22 January 1972 | Southampton | H | 3–1 | 17,480 | Ritchie 12', Greenhoff (2) 51', 82' |
| 27 | 29 January 1972 | Leicester City | A | 1–2 | 26,931 | Greenhoff 13' |
| 28 | 12 February 1972 | Ipswich Town | H | 3–3 | 20,247 | Ritchie 55', Greenhoff 75', Smith 87' |
| 29 | 19 February 1972 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–2 | 32,841 | |
| 30 | 11 March 1972 | Sheffield United | H | 2–2 | 31,667 | Smith 65', Ritchie 85' |
| 31 | 25 March 1972 | Derby County | H | 1–1 | 33,592 | Greenhoff 48' (pen) |
| 32 | 28 March 1972 | Liverpool | A | 1–2 | 42,489 | Ritchie 35' |
| 33 | 1 April 1972 | Manchester City | A | 2–1 | 49,392 | Doyle 35 (o.g.), Ritchie 53' |
| 34 | 4 April 1972 | West Ham United | H | 0–0 | 24,688 | |
| 35 | 8 April 1972 | Leeds United | H | 0–3 | 35,123 | |
| 35 | 10 April 1972 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0–2 | 13,920 | |
| 37 | 22 April 1972 | Everton | H | 1–1 | 16,796 | Lyons 30' (o.g.) |
| 38 | 24 April 1972 | Chelsea | A | 0–2 | 23,443 | |
| 39 | 26 April 1972 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–2 | 24,550 | |
| 40 | 29 April 1972 | Manchester United | A | 0–3 | 34,959 | |
| 41 | 5 May 1972 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–1 | 16,206 | Burrows 68' |
| 42 | 8 May 1972 | Newcastle United | A | 0–0 | 21,350 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R3 | 15 January 1972 | Chesterfield | H | 2–1 | 26,559 | Conroy 15', Dobing 67' |
| R4 | 5 February 1972 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 2–2 | 24,424 | Conroy 68', Ritchie 75' |
| R4 Replay | 9 February 1972 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–0 | 35,352 | Bernard 31', Greenhoff 70' |
| R5 | 26 February 1972 | Hull City | H | 4–1 | 34,558 | Greenhoff (2) 44', 45', Conroy 79', Ritchie 87' |
| Quarter-final | 18 March 1972 | Manchester United | A | 1–1 | 53,558 | Greenhoff 58' |
| Quarter-final Replay | 22 March 1972 | Manchester United | H | 2–1 (aet) | 49,091 | Smith 74', Conroy 102' |
| Semi-final | 15 April 1972 | Arsenal | N | 1–1 | 56,570 | Simpson 65' (o.g.) |
| Semi-final Replay | 19 April 1972 | Arsenal | N | 1–2 | 35,976 | Greenhoff 19' |
| 3rd Place play-off | 5 August 1972 | Birmingham City | A | 0–0 (3–4 pens) | 23,841 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R2 | 8 September 1971 | Southport | A | 2–1 | 10,225 | Smith 10', Greenhoff 70' |
| R3 | 6 October 1971 | Oxford United | A | 1–1 | 15,024 | Greenhoff 13' |
| R3 Replay | 18 October 1971 | Oxford United | H | 2–0 | 11,757 | Ritchie 30', Haslegrave 86' |
| R4 | 27 October 1971 | Manchester United | A | 1–1 | 47,062 | Ritchie 72' |
| R4 Replay | 8 November 1971 | Manchester United | H | 0–0 (aet) | 40,829 | |
| R4 2nd Replay | 15 November 1971 | Manchester United | H | 2–1 | 42,233 | Dobing 70', Ritchie 88' |
| Quarter-final | 23 November 1971 | Bristol Rovers | A | 4–2 | 33,626 | Greenhoff 7', Smith 20', Bernard 61', Conroy 64' |
| Semi-final 1st Leg | 8 December 1971 | West Ham United | H | 1–2 | 36,407 | Dobing 14' |
| Semi-final 2nd Leg | 15 December 1971 | West Ham United | A | 1–0 | 38,771 | Ritchie 72' |
| Semi-final Replay | 5 January 1972 | West Ham United | N | 0–0 | 46,916 | |
| Semi-final 2nd Replay | 26 January 1972 | West Ham United | N | 3–2 | 49,247 | Bernard 32', Dobing 45', Conroy 49' |
| Final | 4 March 1972 | Chelsea | N | 2–1 | 97,852 | Conroy 5', Eastham 73' |

### Texaco Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 15 September 1971 | Motherwell | A | 1–0 | 8,213 | Bernard |
| R1 2nd Leg | 29 September 1971 | Motherwell | H | 4–1 | 12,072 | Ritchie (2), Greenhoff, Haslegrave |
| R2 1st Leg | 20 October 1971 | Derby County | A | 2–3 | 21,487 | Mahoney, Smith |
| R2 2nd Leg | 11 November 1971 | Derby County | H | 1–1 | 23,461 | Smith |

### Anglo-Italian Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| Group stage | 1 June 1972 | Catanzaro | A | 3–0 | 14,147 | Greenhoff 60', Dobing 66', Marsh 75' |
| Group stage | 5 June 1972 | Roma | A | 0–2 | 19,960 | |
| Group stage | 7 June 1972 | Catanzaro | H | 2–0 | 8,345 | Ritchie 43', Greenhoff 90' |
| Group stage | 10 June 1972 | Roma | H | 1–2 | 5,446 | Ritchie 46' |

### Friendlies

| Match | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| 1 | Porthmadog | A | 5–2 |
| 2 | Motherwell | A | 0–0 |
| 3 | Southend United | A | 4–2 |
| 4 | Olympiacos | A | 2–1 |
| 5 | Olympiacos | A | 0–1 |

## Squad statistics

| Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Texaco Cup | Texaco Cup | Anglo-Italian Cup | Anglo-Italian Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Gordon Banks | 36 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 0 |
| GK | John Farmer | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| DF | Alan Bloor | 35 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 63 | 0 |
| DF | Alex Elder | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| DF | Jackie Marsh | 41 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 69 | 1 |
| DF | Mike Pejic | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 0 |
| DF | Denis Smith | 28 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 54 | 10 |
| DF | Eric Skeels | 13(6) | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 19(8) | 0 |
| MF | Mike Bernard | 36 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 6 |
| MF | Terry Conroy | 27 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 11 |
| MF | George Eastham | 13(1) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6(2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28(3) | 1 |
| MF | Sean Haslegrave | 17(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(1) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22(2) | 2 |
| MF | George Jackson | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 1(2) | 0 | 9(3) | 0 |
| MF | Stewart Jump | 17(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31(2) | 0 |
| MF | Terry Lees | 3(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 3(3) | 0 |
| MF | John Mahoney | 25(4) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4(2) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34(6) | 5 |
| MF | Jimmy Robertson | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Willie Stevenson | 12(5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3(1) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20(6) | 0 |
| FW | Harry Burrows | 10 | 1 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14(2) | 1 |
| FW | Peter Dobing | 27(1) | 1 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 1(1) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 51(2) | 6 |
| FW | Jimmy Greenhoff | 35 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 59 | 19 |
| FW | Geoff Hurst | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | John Ritchie | 32 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 60 | 22 |
| FW | Terry Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Tommy Walker | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| – | Own goals | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 |