1931–32 Stoke City F.C. season

Stoke City
1931–32 season
ChairmanMr A.McSherwin
ManagerTom Mather
StadiumVictoria Ground
Football League Second Division3rd (52 Points)
FA CupFifth Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Joe Mawson
(20)
All: Joe Mawson
(24)
Highest home attendance28,192 vs Port Vale
(26 September 1931)
Lowest home attendance5,051 vs Oldham Athletic
(28 April 1932)
Average home league attendance12,278

The 1931–32 season was Stoke City's 32nd season in the Football League and the 12th in the Second Division.

It was a good season for Stoke as they were finally able to mount a serious promotion challenge. They were involved in the race throughout the season and just missed out finishing third, two points behind second-placed Leeds United. Too many winnable matches were drawn with fourteen matches ending on level terms.[1]

In March 1932 away at Bury, 17-year-old Stanley Matthews made his professional debut and he would go on to become one of the greatest players in English football.[1]

Season review

League

The 1931–32 season proved to be an entertaining season for Stoke as they were involved in the hunt for promotion throughout the campaign, just missing out in third spot in the final placings.[1] Their draw tally of 14 cost Stoke dearly in the end and on a number of occasions Stoke were denied victory due to last minute equalisers from their opponents.[1] There were a number of good things to come out of the season, including 25 goals from Joe Mawson and a 14 match unbeaten run from mid-November to the beginning of February.[1] Manager Tom Mather was able to select the same starting eleven for 16 consecutive matches, a club record.[1] Stoke, suffered the fewest defeats in the Second Division.[1]

The directors, who had used cash resources carefully, allowed Mather to build up his squad, and he duly pulled off three excellent deals, the returning Harry Davies from Huddersfield Town, goalkeeper Roy John and winger Joe Johnson.[1] Johnson was perhaps the shrewdest of the three, for Stoke became aware that his club Bristol City were struggling for money and after a goalless draw at Ashton Gate in April 1932 Stoke paid Bristol a mere £250 for his signature.[1]

It was at Bury on 19 Match 1932 that Stoke introduced their latest local talent, Stanley Matthews who at the time was described at the time as a 'promising outside right'.[1] Matthews had signed professional contract forms on his 17th birthday (1 February 1932) and was deputising for the injured Bobby Liddle.[1]

FA Cup

Stoke, beat Hull City 3–0 and Sunderland 2–1 in a 2nd replay before been knocked out 3–0 by Bury.[1]

Final league table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (C, P) 42 24 8 10 115 49 2.347 56 Promotion to the First Division
2 Leeds United (P) 42 22 10 10 78 54 1.444 54
3 Stoke City 42 19 14 9 69 48 1.438 52
4 Plymouth Argyle 42 20 9 13 100 66 1.515 49
5 Bury 42 21 7 14 70 58 1.207 49
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Results

Stoke's score comes first

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League Second Division

Main article: 1931–32 Football League
Match Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
1 29 August 1931 Chesterfield H 2–1 12,130 Kirkham, McMahon
2 31 August 1931 Bradford Park Avenue A 1–2 7,000 Taylor
3 5 September 1931 Burnley A 0–3 8,710
4 7 September 1931 Manchester United H 3–0 10,518 Mawson (2), Liddle
5 12 September 1931 Preston North End H 4–1 9,400 Mawson, Liddle, Sale, Archibald
6 16 September 1931 Manchester United A 1–1 5,025 Liddle
7 19 September 1931 Southampton A 2–1 10,063 Mawson (2)
8 26 September 1931 Port Vale H 4–0 28,192 Sale, Bussey (3)
9 3 October 1931 Charlton Athletic H 4–0 10,024 Sale, Liddle (2), Mawson
10 10 October 1931 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 1–0 30,000 Liddle
11 17 October 1931 Millwall A 0–1 8,000
12 24 October 1931 Bradford City H 3–1 10,000 Liddle, Sale (2) (1 pen)
13 31 October 1931 Leeds United A 0–2 15,000
14 7 November 1931 Bury H 3–2 11,145 Liddle, Sale, Mawson
15 14 November 1931 Barnsley A 0–1 6,000
16 21 November 1931 Notts County H 2–2 11,120 Bussey, Mawson
17 28 November 1931 Plymouth Argyle A 1–1 7,000 Sale
18 5 December 1931 Bristol City H 1–1 8,600 Mawson
19 12 December 1931 Oldham Athletic A 3–1 5,748 Mawson (2), Sellars
20 19 December 1931 Swansea Town H 0–0 7,200
21 25 December 1931 Nottingham Forest H 2–1 8,150 Sale (2) (1 pen)
22 26 December 1931 Nottingham Forest A 1–1 12,000 Bussey
23 2 January 1932 Chesterfield A 3–1 7,976 Mawson, Taylor (2)
24 16 January 1932 Burnley H 3–0 9,045 Mawson, Taylor, Bussey
25 30 January 1932 Southampton H 2–0 9,206 Taylor, Ware
26 6 February 1932 Port Vale A 0–3 20,703
27 15 February 1932 Charlton Athletic A 1–1 10,000 Liddle
28 20 February 1932 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 2–1 25,641 Bussey, Mawson
29 25 February 1932 Preston North End A 0–2 3,074
30 27 February 1932 Millwall H 0–0 12,036
31 5 March 1932 Bradford City A 2–2 12,000 Taylor (2)
32 12 March 1932 Leeds United H 3–4 8,500 Taylor, Mawson, Davies
33 19 March 1932 Bury A 1–0 4,000 Maloney
34 25 March 1932 Tottenham Hotspur A 3–3 12,500 Mawson (3)
35 26 March 1932 Barnsley H 2–0 7,200 Liddle, Robertson
36 28 March 1932 Tottenham Hotspur H 2–2 15,077 Liddle, Davies
37 2 April 1932 Notts County A 1–2 10,886 Mawson
38 9 April 1932 Plymouth Argyle H 3–2 7,000 Mawson, Davies (2)
39 16 April 1932 Bristol City A 0–0 10,000
40 23 April 1932 Oldham Athletic H 1–1 5,051 Taylor
41 30 April 1932 Swansea Town A 1–1 6,000 Bussey
42 7 May 1932 Bradford Park Avenue H 1–0 5,892 Ware

FA Cup

Main article: 1931–32 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
R3 9 January 1932 Hull City H 3–0 20,024 Sellars, Bussey, Mawson
R4 23 January 1932 Sunderland A 1–1 43,700 Mawson
R4 Replay 28 January 1932 Sunderland H 1–1 (aet) 30,575 Bussey
R4 2nd Replay 1 February 1932 Sunderland N 2–1 (aet) 7,470 Mawson (2)
R5 13 February 1932 Bury A 0–3 29,503

Squad statistics

Pos. Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Wales Roy John 1 0 0 0 1 0
GK England Norman Lewis 41 0 5 0 46 0
DF England Arthur Beachill 42 0 5 0 47 0
DF England Joe Buller 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF Scotland Bob McGrory 41 0 5 0 46 0
DF England Billy Spencer 1 0 0 0 1 0
MF England Len Armitage 4 0 0 0 4 0
MF England Peter Jackson 1 0 0 0 1 0
MF John McDaid 3 0 0 0 3 0
MF Scotland Hugh McMahon 8 1 0 0 8 1
MF England Tim Maloney 8 1 0 0 8 1
MF Scotland William Robertson 38 1 5 0 43 1
MF England Arthur Turner 35 0 5 0 40 0
MF England Harry Sellars 42 1 5 1 47 2
FW Scotland Bobby Archibald 21 1 3 0 24 1
FW England Walter Bussey 37 8 3 2 40 10
FW England Harry Davies 14 4 0 0 14 4
FW England Joe Johnson 1 0 0 0 1 0
FW England Wilf Kirkham 1 1 0 0 1 1
FW England Bobby Liddle 39 11 5 0 44 11
FW England Stanley Matthews 2 0 0 0 2 0
FW England Joe Mawson 34 20 5 4 39 24
FW England Albert Pinxton 0 0 0 0 0 0
FW England Tommy Sale 24 9 5 0 29 9
FW England Harold Taylor 17 9 2 0 19 9
FW England Harry Ware 6 2 2 0 8 2

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.