The
1896–97 season was
Stoke's eighth season in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
.
After last season's success of finishing in 6th position there was high hopes that it would signal a change in the club's fortunes. Alas it was a disappointing season for Stoke as little progress was made and they finished the season in 13th position with 25 points.
Season review
League
As the 1896–97 season beckoned there was a lot of talk of Stoke purchasing the football pitch at the cricket ground in the town, with a considerable amount of financial backing promised.
However this never materialised much to the disappointment of chairman Mr S. Barker.
During the campaign itself a total of 16 players made their senior debuts for the club including
Zeke Johnston, Stoke's first Irishman signed from
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
.
There was little progress in the league with a 13th-place finish.
The best result of the season saw Stoke beat
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
6–1 in February 1897.
Long serving forward
Billy Dickson
Billy Dickson is an American cinematographer and television director.
As a cinematographer he is best known for his work on the television series '' Ally McBeal'', for which he was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Cinema ...
retired as did half-back
Davy Brodie.
FA Cup
After beating
Glossop 5–2 in the first round Stoke lost 2–1 in the next to
Preston North End.
Final league table
Results
''Stoke's score comes first''
Legend
Football League First Division
FA Cup
Squad statistics
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1896-97 Stoke F.C. season
Stoke City F.C. seasons
Stoke