2011–12 Stoke City F.C. season

For the season opener against Chelsea manager Tony Pulis gave a league debut to Jonathan Woodgate with Robert Huth moving to right-back. For Chelsea they had new manager André Villas-Boas in charge for his first Premier League match. After an even first half, Chelsea were the better side after the break with Asmir Begović making a number of important saves. After injuries to Matthew Etherington and Rory Delap, City went defensive and were able to claim a goalless draw.[3]

After the Europa League match against Thun in Switzerland, Stoke travelled to Norfolk to take on newly promoted Norwich City. Stoke started the match the better side but suffered a huge blow when Jermaine Pennant was forced off due to injury after half an hour. Norwich took the lead through former Stoke reserve team player Ritchie De Laet as "The Canaries" went into the break in the lead. After half-time, Stoke were awarded a penalty when Leon Barnett fouled Jonathan Walters, however Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy saved Walters' effort. Stoke were able to get a result though as Kenwyne Jones headed in Whelan's cross in the 94th minute to deny Norwich the win.[4]

Stoke's final match of August was against Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns. It turned to be a poor match with both teams struggleling to create clear goal scoring chances. With the match seemingly destined for a goalless draw "Baggies" keeper Ben Foster hesitated when under pressure from Ryan Shotton, who was able to claim the ball and roll it into an empty net.[5]

Stoke's new record signing Peter Crouch made his debut against his old club Liverpool following the international break. City scored the only goal of the match after 20 minutes when Jamie Carragher brought down Walters in the penalty area, who fired the ball past Pepe Reina. Liverpool produced a dominant second half performance with Luis Suárez being a large threat to the Stoke defence. Stoke had to defend well to keep their 1–0 lead intact and due to some last ditch defending were able to come away with the three points.[6]

After a 1–1 in Kiev, "The Potters"' nine-match unbeaten run was then ended in emphatic style by Sunderland on Wearside as Steve Bruce's side scored four goals without reply. Sunderland scored through Titus Bramble following a mistake from Begović, an own goal from Woodgate, a deflected shot from Craig Gardner and a free-kick from Sebastian Larsson.[7]

Manchester United arrived at the Britannia with a 100% winning start but had Wayne Rooney missing out due to injury. They suffered another injury early into the match when Javier Hernández was substituted after colliding with Begovic and Woodgate. They went into the lead through a low shot from Nani after 26 minutes. Stoke almost equalised soon after through Wilkinson, but David de Gea palmed his shot on to the post. Stoke's equaliser came after just half time with Peter Crouch scoring his first goal for "The Potters" since his move from Tottenham. Stoke had chances to win the match but De Gea made a number of fine saves. The final chance of the game fell to Ryan Giggs, but he could only volley wide of the goal. It was the first time Stoke had gained a result against Manchester United in the Premier League.[8]

Stoke made their first journey to Swansea City's Liberty Stadium following the Europa League win over Beşiktaş. It proved to be a very poor afternoon for "The Potters", however, as two defensive errors allowed "The Jacks" score to twice through Scott Sinclair and Danny Graham.[9]

Following the international break Stoke returned to Premier League football with the visit of Martin Jol's Fulham side. In what was a quite first half, Stoke had two good chances to take the lead with Crouch and Pennant both guilty of poor finishing. In the second half, Stoke were the dominant side but were finding it difficult to break down a stubborn "Cottagers" defence. The breakthrough came after 80 minutes when Jon Walters tapped in Matthew Etherington's wayward shot, moments earlier John Arne Riise's hit a powerful free-kick that hit the Stoke crossbar. Three minutes from full-time Rory Delap scored a rare goal to seal a 2–0 win.[10]

City's next game came at Arsenal on 23 October at the Emirates Stadium. After a quite opening half hour Gervinho broke the offside trap and put the ball past Begović. Stoke, however, were not behind for long as a well worked free kick was finished off by Crouch from all of two yards. Any hopes Stoke had of claiming their first points at the Emirates were ended in the second half by substitute Robin van Persie, who scored twice.[11]

On Halloween, Stoke faced inform Newcastle United at the Britannia. It turned out to be a defensive "horror show" for City as former transfer target Demba Ba scored a hat-trick as both Shawcross and Wilson departed due to injury.[12] Manager Pulis blamed his defence for conceding 'sloppy goals'.[13]

Stoke ended a busy period with a woeful defeat against Bolton Wanderers who reversed the scoreline from last season's FA Cup semi-final.[14] Pulis branded his players performance as the worst since he returned to the club in 2006.[15]

Following the two-week international break, Stoke had the opportunity to make amends for the Bolton defeat against newly promoted Queens Park Rangers. More poor defending, however, cost Stoke as goals from Luke Young and a brace from Heiðar Helguson earned Neil Warnock's team the points. Goals from Walters and Shawcross proved to be in vain for City as they fell to a fourth-straight league defeat.[16]

Stoke ended their losing run with victory over struggling Blackburn Rovers at the Britannia. After a cagey opening to the match, Delap headed in a Pennant free-kick to put City in front. Rovers almost levelled soon after the break when Rubén Rochina weaved his way through the penalty area, though only to see his cross totally missed by Mauro Formica. Two goals from Whelan and Crouch put Stoke in a comfortable position with Rochina replying for Rovers.[17]

After securing European qualification against Dynamo Kyiv, Stoke travelled to an emotional Goodison Park where the Everton fans were mourning the recent death of Gary Speed. Stoke produced a more familiar defensive performance than what was on show in November and came away with a rare away win thanks to Robert Huth's first goal of the season. There was one concern for Stoke, however, as goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen had to be stretchered off with concussion.[18]

In-form Tottenham travelled to the Britannia having gone 11 matches unbeaten. Stoke started with great pressure on the Spurs defence with Ryan Shotton's long throw-ins causing problems, and they led to both Stoke goals scored by Matthew Etherington to put City 2–0 in front at half time. Tottenham improved in the second half and pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, but Younès Kaboul was sent off and Stoke were able to claim the three points.[19]

Stoke began the festive period with a short trip to Wolverhampton and received some early good fortune from referee Anthony Taylor. With Woodgate playing at right back, he came up against Matt Jarvis and was booked for a late challenge early into the match. Woodgate continued to have problems with Jarvis and he gave away a penalty after 17 minutes, however Taylor decided not to send him off, much to the fury of Mick McCarthy.[20] Hunt scored from the spot and Pulis substituted Woodgate and brought on Pennant and Stoke began to take control of the play. In the second half, a Huth free-kick was deflected into the goal by Kevin Doyle, while Peter Crouch scored the winning goal for Stoke in a 2–1 win, marking the first time that Stoke had won four Premier League matches in a row.[21]

Stoke's winning run came to an end in their next match away at league leaders Manchester City in what was difficult evening for the "Potters". Under constant pressure from the start of the match, Man City controlled the match and easily won 3–0 with a brace from Sergio Agüero and a trademark long-range effort from Adam Johnson. Stoke had a tough time and failed to trouble an underworked Joe Hart.[22]

The Boxing Day match against Aston Villa was played at an untraditional time of 7:45pm to accommodate live TV coverage. The match though was a bland and uneventful affair and finished unsurprisingly in a goalless draw. Marc Wilson had the best chance of the match as his header struck the crossbar late in the second half.[23]

Stoke finished a successful 2011 with a 2–2 against Wigan Athletic. The "Latics" took the lead through Victor Moses just before half time following a well worked move. Stoke tried in vain to pull level until the 77th minute when Gary Caldwell handled on the line and was sent off. Walters calmly beat Ali Al-Habsi from the spot and soon after Cameron Jerome scored his first league goal for Stoke. Stoke, however, were denied a comeback with just moments after the Wigan restart they were awarded a penalty after Shotton had pulled Hugo Rodallega's shirt. Ben Watson came off the bench to take the penalty and sent Sørensen the wrong way.[24]

The first match of 2012 saw Stoke travel to struggling Blackburn, who surprisingly beat Manchester United in their previous match and Rovers started the match well with Christopher Samba hitting the crossbar and having a goal ruled out for a foul on Sørensen. Stoke then began to take control of the contest and took the lead through Peter Crouch after 17 minutes, Crouch's 100th league goal. He scored again just before half-time after good wing play by Matthew Etherington. Rovers pulled a goal back through David Goodwillie with 20 minutes left, but Stoke were able to see out the rest of the match with relative ease to claim a 2–1 victory.[25]

Stoke continued their improved away form by drawing 0–0 at Liverpool. Stoke put in a fine defensive performance and whilst they never threatened to win the match they were equally looked unlikely to lose as Liverpool struggled to break down a hard working Stoke defence.[26]

Stoke's first home match of 2012 was against West Brom at a windy Britannia Stadium, and the Baggies took full advantage of the conditions with James Morrison taking long-range shots. He hit the crossbar with one before scoring after a huge swerve deceived Sørensen, where the ball bounced under his body to give West Brom the lead. Stoke struggled to get back into the match but were given a penalty when Gabriel Tamaș fouled Walters; his penalty, however, was easily saved by Ben Foster. Cameron Jerome came off the bench and scored with a glancing header, but West Brom secured a deserved win in the final minute via a Graham Dorrans free-kick.[27]

On 31 January, Stoke took on Manchester United at Old Trafford and were undone by two penalties either side of half time, Pennant tripping Park Ji-sung for the first and Walters pulling Antonio Valencia's arm.[28] After the match, Pulis expressed his disappointment at the referee's decisions.[29]

Stoke began a potentially season defining February with a second consecutive home defeat, this time to an in-form Sunderland. The match was played in falling snow which progressively got worse, meaning that there was few goalscoring chances for both sides. The match took a huge change just before half-time when Huth was sent-off for tackling David Meyler, although replays showed that Huth pulled out of the challenge. Sunderland took full advantage of the extra man and scored the only goal through James McClean.[30] Stoke did attempt to get Huth's red card overturned, but failed in their efforts.[31]

Stoke then recorded their fourth-straight Premier League defeat – for the second time this season – with a 2–1 defeat at Fulham. Stoke conceded twice in the opening half hour with Fulham's new Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak and an own goal from Sørensen putting Martin Jol's team in a good position. City pulled one back in the second half through Ryan Shawcross, but were unable to claim a draw.[32]

With one win in eight matches and now eliminated from the Europa League, a win against Swansea was vital for Stoke. After not really doing much in the match, Matthew Upson broke the deadlock with a header from Matthew Etherington's corner in the 24th minute and then Crouch flicked home his tenth goal of the season when he rose to meet a long throw-in from Ryan Shotton six minutes before the break. Swansea kept the ball well but failed to trouble an under worked Asmir Begović, and Stoke were able to see out a fairly comfortably 2–0 victory.[33]

Stoke faced another newly promoted team in the form of Norwich at the Britannia Stadium. The match coincided with the 40th anniversary of Stoke's 1972 League Cup win and ironically, it was in the 72nd minute that Stoke scored the only goal of the match through Matthew Etherington, who beat goalkeeper John Ruddy from a tight angle in what was rare moment of quality in a match with few chances.[34]

After two home wins, Stoke were narrowly beaten 1–0 at Chelsea, with Didier Drogba scoring the only goal of the match after 68 minutes. This was after Stoke had played most of the match with ten men as Ricardo Fuller – making his first start of the season – was sent off early on after he stamped on Branislav Ivanović.[35] Pulis described Fuller's actions as "ridiculous".[36]

On 21 March, Stoke travelled to a muted White Hart Lane which saw the Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapse on the pitch three days before. Stoke were knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool and were now able to concentrate on the Premier League for the rest of the season. After containing Tottenham for most of the match, Stoke took the lead through Cameron Jerome on 75 minutes following a goalmouth scramble. Stoke, however, were denied an impressive win in the final moments as Rafael van der Vaart headed in a Gareth Bale cross.[37]

Stoke's next home match saw title challengers Manchester City arrived at the Britannia Stadium and saw a contender for goal of the season scored by Peter Crouch. After a goalless first half, Stoke opened the scoring in memorable style: a long goal-kick from Begović was headed by Crouch on to Pennant, who passed back to the forward, who then took a touch and fired a volley shot past goalkeeper Joe Hart. Stoke could not hold on, however, as a long-range Yaya Touré strike earned the visitors a share of the points.[38]

City, now in good spirits following Peter Crouch's wonder goal the previous week, travelled to Wigan for the final match of March. The first half was a very competitive one which produced some hard tackles and few goalscoring chances. In second half, however, Wigan were by far the better side and easily won the match 2–0 thanks to goals from Antolín Alcaraz and Victor Moses.[39]

Wolves were Stoke's first opponents over the Easter period, who arrived in Stoke needing a win to give them any hope of avoiding the drop. Wolves took the lead in the 27th minute in rather bizarre fashion against the run of play, Michael Kightly embarked upon a run from wide on the right and when he chipped the ball into the onrushing Dave Edwards, but the Welsh international midfielder's attempt to get a touch deceived Asmir Begović as it bounced past him into the net. The lead lasted just seven minutes, however, as Huth hit a powerful shot past Wayne Hennessey. Stoke all but ended Wolves' stay in the Premier League as Crouch scored the final goal of the match to secure Stoke a league double over their Midlands rivals.[40]

Forty-eight hours later, Stoke again faced struggling Midlands opponents in the form of Aston Villa in what was another poor quality match between the two sides. After very little excitement, Andreas Weimann curled in a fine goal to give the hosts the lead. Stoke were trying in vain to draw level, so Pulis introduced the rested pair of Crouch and Pennant; the move paid off as a Pennant set piece was headed into the net by Huth to earn City a share of the points.[41]

After a two-week break due to Everton being involved in the FA Cup semi-final, Stoke made the long trip north to Newcastle United where they came away with a heavy 3–0 loss. Yohan Cabaye proved to be Stoke's chief tormentor as he scored twice and assisted Papiss Cissé.[42]

Arsenal were Stoke's next opponents at the Britannia Stadium and Peter Crouch scored the opening goal after just ten minutes, but Robin van Persie quickly equalised for the "Gunners". Both sides had opportunities of grabbing all three points during a frantic second 45 minutes, with Crouch and Jonathan Walters both going closest in stoppage time but the match ended on level terms.[43]

The re-arranged match with Everton produced a dour encounter with few moments of excitement. Everton had the better of an awful first half and they scored on the stroke of half-time as Peter Crouch scored an unlucky own goal. The introduction of Ricardo Fuller and Cameron Jerome gave Stoke some life and within seconds of his arrival Jerome used his pace to accelerate through the "Toffees" defence and rescue a point for Stoke.[44]

The final two matches of the 2011–12 season saw Stoke involved in the fight to avoid relegation with both their opponents Queens Park Rangers and Bolton in danger of joining Blackburn and Wolves in The Football League. The match against QPR saw Stoke squander an early effort as Cameron Jerome missed an easy chance. With the match seemingly heading for a goalless draw, Djibril Cissé scored in the final few moments to spark a pitch invasion by jubilant "Rs" fans.[45]

For the final match of a long and difficult season for Stoke, their opponents Bolton arrived in Stoke-on-Trent knowing that they had to win to remain a Premier League club, while Stoke fans dedicated the match to Ricardo Fuller, who would be out of contract at season's end. Jonathan Walters scored a controversial opening goal for Stoke as he barged into goalkeeper Ádám Bogdán, who had both hands on the ball and dropped the ball behind the line. Bolton, however, went close with Kevin Davies hitting the crossbar before Bolton had a stroke of luck they needed. First, an attempted clearance from Robert Huth cannoned off Mark Davies and then an attempted cross from Kevin Davies deceived Thomas Sørensen to give Bolton a shock 2–1 lead. Unfortunately for "Trotters" fans, a second-half penalty from Walters condemned them to the Championship.[46] Stoke ended the season in 14th place with 45 points, but a lack of goals and attacking play made it a disappointing and often boring Premier League season for the Stoke supporters.

Stoke City v Hajduk Split

28 July 2011 1st leg	Stoke City	1–0	Hajduk Split	Stoke-on-Trent
	Walters  3' Huth  82'	Report		Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 26,322 Referee: Babak Rafati (Germany)

Hajduk Split v Stoke City

4 August 2011 2nd leg	Hajduk Split	0–1	Stoke City	Split, Croatia
	Miličević  29' Andrić  37' Sarić  89'	Report	Begović  61' Whitehead  63' Pennant  81' Etherington  90' Milicevic  90+3' (o.g.)	Stadium: Stadion Poljud Attendance: 29,548 Referee: Andrea De Marco (Italy)

Stoke City won 2–0 on aggregate.

Thun v Stoke City

18 August 2011 1st leg	Thun	0–1	Stoke City	Thun, Switzerland
	Bättig  33' Da Costa  90'	Report	Pugh  19' Huth  21' Tonge  31' Etherington  46' Walters  90+5'	Stadium: Arena Thun Attendance: 7,850 Referee: Daniel Stålhammar (Sweden)

Stoke City v Thun

25 August 2011 2nd leg	Stoke City	4–1	Thun	Stoke-on-Trent
	Upson  24' Jones  30', 71' Whelan  37' Whitehead  38'	Report	Lüthi  36' Wittwer  77'	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 24,148 Referee: Marcin Borski (Poland)

Stoke City won 5–1 on aggregate.

Stoke City v Valencia

16 February 2012 1st leg	Stoke City	0–1	Valencia	Stoke-on-Trent
	Shawcross  54' Etherington  83' Walters  84' Whitehead  85' Wilkinson  90+3'	Report	Topal  36' Rami  73' T. Costa  85'	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 24,185 Referee: Peter Rasmussen (Denmark)

Valencia v Stoke City

23 February 2012 2nd leg	Valencia	1–0	Stoke City	Valencia, Spain
	Jonas  24' Dealbert  77' Soldado  89'	Report	Diao  30' Huth  68' Pennant  73' Jones  77' Shotton  81'	Stadium: Estadio Mestalla Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Markus Strömbergsson (Sweden)

Stoke City lost 2–0 on aggregate.