2008–09 Stoke City F.C. season
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The 2008–09 season was
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
's first season in the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
and the 53rd in the top tier of English football. This was also their 102nd season of league football. After gaining promotion to the top division for the first time since 1985, Stoke were immediately tipped to be relegated from the Premier League by the media.
Dave Kitson David Barry Kitson (born 21 January 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. He made 420 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, including 135 for Reading. Kitson began his career with non-Leag ...
became the first signing and he was followed by Seyi Olofinjana, Thomas Sørensen,
Amdy Faye Amdy Moustapha Faye (born 12 March 1977) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder and could also play as a centre back. Faye began his career with Monégasque club AS Monaco, French clubs ES Fréjus a ...
,
Abdoulaye Faye Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye (born 26 February 1978), known as Abdoulaye Faye, is a Senegalese former footballer who played as a defender. Faye began his career playing for ASEC Ndiambour and Jeanne d'Arc in his native Senegal before moving to Frenc ...
and the returning Danny Higginbotham. Stoke started the campaign at
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
and were dealt a harsh reality check losing 3–1. Stoke's first home game in the Premier League produced an exciting 3–2 win over
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
with
Mamady Sidibé Mamady Sidibé (born 18 December 1979) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Sidibé moved from his native Mali to France when he was two years old. After playing football for a number of lower French league sides ...
getting the winner in the 93rd minute. Stoke claimed a valuable point away at title challenges
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 popul ...
in September and earned wins over
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
,
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
,
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
and
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
in October and November with
Rory Delap Rory John Delap (born 6 July 1976) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in England, he made 11 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team. Delap started his career at Carlisle United and impressed en ...
's long throw-ins causing defences problems. Stoke hit poor form in December failing to win a match and had to deal with an embarrassing on-field clash between teammates
Ricardo Fuller Ricardo Dwayne Fuller (born 31 October 1979) is a retired Jamaican professional footballer who played as a forward. Fuller started his football career with Jamaican side Tivoli Gardens, before he moved to England with Crystal Palace in February ...
and captain
Andy Griffin Andrew Griffin (born 17 March 1979) is an English former footballer. Griffin began his career at Stoke City, where he established a reputation as a solid wing-back defender. His impressive performances for the "Potters" led to him being signe ...
away at West Ham United. In January Stoke brought in James Beattie and
Matthew Etherington Matthew Etherington (born 14 August 1981) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club Crawley Town. As a player, Etherington played as a winger, most notably in the Premier League for ...
who proved to be influential signings. Beattie scored the only goal as Stoke ended a run of nine-matches without a win at the end of January against Man City. Stoke continued to improve and pulled clear of the relegation zone with important victories over Bolton, Middlesbrough and West Brom. Stoke sealed survival with a 2–1 victory away at Hull City in May 2009 and ended their first season in the Premier League in 12th position with 45 points.


Pre-season

Stoke began its preparations for the 2008–09 season with the traditional opener at Newcastle Town. City won 3–0 with goals coming from
Richard Cresswell Richard Paul Wesley Cresswell (born 20 September 1977) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Football League for York City, Mansfield Town, Sheffield Wednesda ...
,
Jon Parkin Jonathan Parkin (born 30 December 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. While never making a Premier League appearance, Parkin played extensively in all Football League divisions, and (excluding loan spel ...
and
Adam Rooney Adam Christopher David Rooney (born 21 April 1988) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Brackley Town. He previously played for Stoke City, spent spells on loan at Yeovil Town, Chesterfield and Bury, was a re ...
. Stoke then travelled to Austria for their pre-season training camp, where they also played two games. The first was against German side
Nürnberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ci ...
in Stainach, Greek forward Angelos Charisteas scored the only goal of the match. The second was against the
Bahrain national team Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ad ...
, a rare club versus country match. Stoke won 2–1 with the goals coming from Cresswell and Pericard while Ismail Abdul-Latif replied for the Arabic nation. On their return to England Stoke travelled to League Two Notts County and came away with a 2–0 win thanks to a brace from
Mamady Sidibé Mamady Sidibé (born 18 December 1979) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Sidibé moved from his native Mali to France when he was two years old. After playing football for a number of lower French league sides ...
. Stoke kept their winning run going as they visited Shrewsbury Town's new stadium the
New Meadow New Meadow, also known as Montgomery Waters Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm, and close to the A5 road (Great Britain) ...
for the first time, Cresswell scoring the winning goal after 68 minutes. Stoke's final away fixture saw them make the long trip down to Southampton. Stoke took the lead through new signing
Dave Kitson David Barry Kitson (born 21 January 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. He made 420 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, including 135 for Reading. Kitson began his career with non-Leag ...
,
David McGoldrick David James McGoldrick (born 29 November 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Derby County. He won 14 caps for the Republic of Ireland national team between 2014 and 2020, scoring one international goal. A train ...
levelled before Pericard scored from distance.
Stern John Stern John, CM (born 30 October 1976) is a Trinidadian football manager and former player who is currently managing Saint Lucia. He managed Anguilla from 2020 to 2022. He previously played for a number of American and English football clubs tha ...
pulled The Saints level again but Stoke were not to be denied as Jamie Hatch scored an own goal. Stoke's final friendly saw them take on Spanish side
Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El ...
in what was an entertaining 2–2 draw. Delap and Shawcross scored for city while
Walter Pandiani Walter Gerardo Pandiani Urquiza (born 27 April 1976) is an Uruguayan football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Albion. His performances for Peñarol earned him a move to Deportivo in Spain, wh ...
and Javad Nekounam scored for Osasuna.


Premier League


August

Stoke began their long-awaited first match in the Premier League and first in the top-flight for 23 years away at
Gary Megson Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager. He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and ...
's Bolton Wanderers. Manager Tony Pulis gave debuts to new signings Thomas Sørensen, Seyi Olofinjana and record £5 million man
Dave Kitson David Barry Kitson (born 21 January 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. He made 420 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, including 135 for Reading. Kitson began his career with non-Leag ...
. Stoke made a bright start and went close to opening the scoring through
Leon Cort Leon Terence Anthony Cort (born 11 September 1979) is a former footballer who played as a defender. He is the younger brother of Carl Cort and the older half-brother of Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Cort began his career as at non-league side Dulwich ...
and Kitson. However, out of nowhere Bolton took the lead through Grétar Steinsson as his attempted cross curled in to the Stoke net. This knocked all the momentum out of Stoke and Bolton took full advantage and scored twice through
Kevin Davies Kevin Cyril Davies (born 26 March 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. He managed Southport in the 2017â ...
and Johan Elmander to put Wanderers 3–0 up at half-time. Stoke tried to get back into the game and did manage to score a consolation from
Ricardo Fuller Ricardo Dwayne Fuller (born 31 October 1979) is a retired Jamaican professional footballer who played as a forward. Fuller started his football career with Jamaican side Tivoli Gardens, before he moved to England with Crystal Palace in February ...
in the final few seconds of the match. Stoke's first home match in the Premier League came against Aston Villa in front of 27,500 at the Brit as Senegalese duo
Abdoulaye Faye Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye (born 26 February 1978), known as Abdoulaye Faye, is a Senegalese former footballer who played as a defender. Faye began his career playing for ASEC Ndiambour and Jeanne d'Arc in his native Senegal before moving to Frenc ...
and
Amdy Faye Amdy Moustapha Faye (born 12 March 1977) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder and could also play as a centre back. Faye began his career with Monégasque club AS Monaco, French clubs ES Fréjus a ...
made their debuts. Both sides made a positive start and Stoke took the lead in the 30th minute when Liam Lawrence scored from the spot after
Martin Laursen Martin Laursen (born 26 July 1977) is a Danish former professional footballer who played in the centre-back position. He played three seasons for Italian club A.C. Milan, with whom he won the 2003 UEFA Champions League and the 2004 Serie A champ ...
had brought down
Rory Delap Rory John Delap (born 6 July 1976) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in England, he made 11 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team. Delap started his career at Carlisle United and impressed en ...
. Villa pulled level in second half through
John Carew John Alieu Carew (born 5 September 1979) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was capped 91 times, scoring 24 goals for the Norway national team. As of 2023, he has been hired until the end of 2024 at Norw ...
before Fuller put Stoke back in front with a quality goal, Gareth Barry's stray pass was intercepted by Delap who passed to Lawrence who fed in Fuller and the Jamaican 'swivelled' past Laursen and scored. The lead didn't last long as Stoke failed to deal with an Ashley Young free kick and Laursen made amends for his earlier errors. Stoke were not to be denied victory as in the final minute a trade mark Delap throw in was headed in by
Mamady Sidibé Mamady Sidibé (born 18 December 1979) is a Malian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Sidibé moved from his native Mali to France when he was two years old. After playing football for a number of lower French league sides ...
to give Stoke a 3–2 win. Stoke next travelled to Middlesbrough for the first time since 1997. The match was an even affair until the 36th minute when Amdy Faye was sent off for a dangerous two footed tackle on
Mohamed Shawky Mohamed Ali Abu El Yazid Shawky ( ar, محمد شوقي; born 5 October 1981) is an Egyptian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Between 2001 and 2012, he made 65 appearances scoring 5 goals for the Egypt national ...
. From the resulting free kick Afonso Alves put Middlesbrough into the lead against the run of play. Boro had the chance to make sure of the win midway through the second half after Abdoulaye Faye fouled Alves in the area but Stewart Downing hit the crossbar from the resulting spot kick. Stoke then equalised after Justin Hoyte put a Lawrence cross in to his own net. However Turkish striker
Tuncay Tuncay (; ''toonj-eye'') is a Turkish given name for males and a surname. People named Tuncay include: Given name * Tuncay Güney (born 1972), Turkish spy * Tuncay Karakaya (born 1989), Turkish Paralympian goalball player * Tuncay Mataracı (born ...
beat the offside trap and gave Boro the win.


September

For the visit of Everton there were debuts for Ibrahima Sonko and the return of Danny Higginbotham. It was also the first live televised match of the season. Stoke made the better start with Fuller testing Tim Howard early on. It was Everton though who opened the scoring though Nigerian striker
Yakubu Yakubu is an English transliteration of a West African name and is a cognate of Jacob and James. Notable people with the name include: ;Given name * Yakubu (born 1982 as Yakubu Ayegbeni), Nigerian footballer * Yakubu (Gobir ruler), historical ruler ...
just before half time and five minutes after the restart it became 2–0 as another Nigerian,
Victor Anichebe Victor Chinedu Anichebe (born 23 April 1988) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Early life Anichebe was born in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria but moved to Liverpool, Merseyside, England aged one. His family ori ...
, headed in. Stoke pulled one back through a Nigerian of their own when Olofinjana volleyed in after the Everton defence failed to clear a Delap throw. City thought they had equalised moments later when Fuller went through and rounded 'keeper Howard but he was penalised for a foul on
Joseph Yobo Joseph Michael Yobo (born 6 September 1980) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He was the captain of the Nigerian national team until his international football retirement in June 2014, and was Nigeria's r ...
. They were level soon though as
Phil Jagielka Philip Nikodem Jagielka ( or ; born 17 August 1982) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Stoke City. Jagielka started his career with Sheffield United in 2000, where he played mainly as a central midfielder ...
headed a Delap throw into his own net. Everton thought they should have had a penalty when Cort handled in the area but the referee,
Alan Wiley Alan G. Wiley (born 27 May 1960) is a former English football referee in the FA Premier League, who is based in Burntwood, Staffordshire. Career Wiley first took up the whistle in 1981, then officiated in the West Midlands (Regional) League ...
deemed it outside the box which resulted in
David Moyes David William Moyes ( ; born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manches ...
been sent to the stands for his protest.
Tim Cahill Timothy Filiga Cahill (; born 6 December 1979) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder but also played as a striker on many occasions. A box-to-box midfielder, Cahill became recognised for "his ag ...
headed Everton back in front and the Toffees held out for the points. Stoke completed the Merseyside double with a trip to
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
. Liverpool went into the match in fine form and it looked to be a very difficult task for Stoke to come away with anything. Stoke made a bad start as
Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...
's free kick found the back of the net, luckily for Stoke the linesman ruled the goal out for offside. Liverpool had numerous chances to take the lead but Stoke's defence held firm and came away with an impressive 0–0 draw. Title favourites Chelsea next came the Britannia Stadium and produced a commanding performance with two goals from
José Bosingwa José Bosingwa da Silva (born 24 August 1982) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a right-back. An attacking fullback, his pace and ability to get up and down the flanks created problems for the opposition. He spent most of his prof ...
and Nicolas Anelka. Stoke rarely troubled Chelsea 'keeper Petr ÄŒech in what was a simple win for the away side.


October

Steve Simonsen Steven Preben Arthur Simonsen (born 3 April 1979) is an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, he started his senior career at Tranmere Rovers before spells with Everton, Stoke City and Sheffield ...
and
Michael Tonge Michael William Eric Tonge (born 7 April 1983) is an English association football, football coach and former player. A midfielder, he scored 39 goals in 544 league and cup appearances in a 19-year career in the English Football League. A former ...
made their first starts of the season away at Portsmouth. Peter Crouch acrobatically fired Pompey into the lead from Jermain Defoe's cross after 24 minutes at a time when the Potters were slightly on top of the game. Ricardo Fuller forced home an equaliser just after the break, but Defoe secured all three points for the hosts just three minutes later when he beat Simonsen at his near post with a low drive.
Juande Ramos Juan de la Cruz "Juande" Ramos Cano (born 25 September 1954) is a Spanish former footballer and manager. After playing and managing at an amateur level, Ramos led Rayo Vallecano to promotion to La Liga, followed by reaching the quarter-finals o ...
's Tottenham travelled to Stoke in what turned out to be a match full of incident. The first came after 17 minutes when
Gareth Bale Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC and the Wales national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wingers of his generation ...
fouled
Tom Soares Thomas James Soares (born 10 July 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Marlow. He has previously played for Crystal Palace, Stoke City, Bury, AFC Wimbledon and Stevenage. Career Crystal Palace Born in Readi ...
in the area and received a red card, Higginbotham scored from the spot after having to reset the ball four times due to strong winds. Spurs then equalised through
Darren Bent Darren Ashley Bent (born 6 February 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Championship for nine clubs, and at senior international level for the England national team. ...
before Delap gave City the lead early in the second half. Goalkeeper Sorensen was then forced off due to injury and also Vedran Corluka who collided with his own keeper Gomes. Due to these injuries 11 minutes of stoppage time would be required, Stoke had the chance to end the match when Soares was again brought down in the box but Fuller's spot kick hit both posts and Delaps rebound hit the cross bar. Spurs were reduced to nine men when
Michael Dawson Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
lunged nastily at Sidibé. Stoke made their first trip to the
City of Manchester Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...
and were undone by £32 million Brazilian Robinho who scored a hat-trick. City did have their chances put were unable to beat Joe Hart. The first Tuesday night match in the Premier League came at home against
Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during ...
's Sunderland who had beaten rivals Newcastle United at the weekend. It proved to be a very tight affair with both sides struggling to create clear cut chances. Stoke scored the only goal of the game when Fuller out jumped
Dean Whitehead Dean Whitehead (born 12 January 1982) is an English former professional footballer and coach. A midfielder who occasionally played at right-back, he made 622 league and cup appearances in a 19-year playing career, scoring 29 goals. Whitehead j ...
to head in another Delap throw-in.


November

Arsenal visited the Britannia Stadium at the beginning of November and was another match full of incident. The first came after just eleven minutes when Fuller's delicate touch from a Delap long throw put City in the lead. Arsenal rarely threatened Sorensen as they struggled to deal with Stoke's greater power and strength. They conceded again from a Delap throw on 73 minutes when Olofinjana bundled the ball past Almunia. Arsenal's misery was complete when Van Persie was sent off for needlessly barging into Sorensen, leaving him requiring assistance from the physio.
Gaël Clichy Gaël Dimitri Clichy (born 26 July 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays for Swiss Super League club Servette. He primarily plays as a left-back, being also capable of playing as an offensive-minded wing-back. He is predominant ...
's deflected freekick gave the Gunners a consolation deep in stoppage time. After the match Arsenal manager
Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...
accused Stoke of being overly aggressive in their play, Pulis responded to Wenger's criticism by quoting
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 â€“ April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
. Stoke went to Wigan still looking for their first away win in the Premier League however the home side were full of confidence and had Egyptian striker
Amr Zaki Amr Hassan Zaki ( ar, عمرو زكي; born 1 April 1983) is an Egyptian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He has played for numerous different clubs in Egypt, Russia, England, Turkey and Kuwait. Zaki has made 63 appearan ...
in fine form. Athletic dominated the match and managed to have 22 shots to City's 2, the combination of Sorensen and some wayward Wigan shooting Stoke managed a useful scoreless draw. Stoke then made the short trip to
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
in what turned out to be a poor game for City as the reigning champions scored five times without reply. Goals from Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov, Danny Welbeck and two free-kicks from
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
condemned Stoke to a heavy defeat. After the heavy defeat at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
Stoke came up against Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion. It was a poor match with few scoring opportunities but Stoke did manage to get the only goal of the game when Mamady Sidibé converted Danny Higginbotham's inch perfect centre with just five minutes remaining, to maintain City's exceptional winning record against the Baggies, and also lifted City up to 13th place in the Premier League. Surprise package Hull City arrived at the Britannia Stadium which was covered by fog. Stoke dominated most of the match and should have scored in the first half, however it was the away side who opened the scoring through Marlon King just before half time.
Boaz Myhill Glyn Oliver "Boaz" Myhill (born 9 November 1982; ) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He represented the Wales national team from 2008 to 2013. Born in the United States to an American father and Welsh mother, Myh ...
made a number of impressive saves to keep Hull ahead but he gave away a penalty when he fouled Fuller in the area and the Jamaican made the scores level. City pressed for the winner but the Tigers held out for a 1–1 draw. One bizarre moment of the match came when Hull substitute
Dean Windass Dean Windass (born 1 April 1969) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played spells at Bradford City and contributed to his hometown team Hull City's promotion to the Premier League in 2008. Windass started ...
was shown a yellow card by referee Keith Stroud without coming on to the pitch, after he began to warm-up to close to Delap who was preparing to take a throw-in.


December

Michael Owen scored twice for
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
in the first 25 minutes of City's next match as St James' Park. Stoke improved greatly in the second half and when Ricardo Fuller was brought off the bench the game started to change and moments later he set up Sidibé for a simple tap in. Stoke had a number of chances to pull level and the equaliser came in stoppage time when former 'Castle player Abdoulaye Faye converted a Whelan free kick to earn Stoke a 2–2 draw. Stoke drew for the third game in a row when Fulham made the trip to the Britannia, it was a poor game of football with
Richard Cresswell Richard Paul Wesley Cresswell (born 20 September 1977) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Football League for York City, Mansfield Town, Sheffield Wednesda ...
coming the closest to opening the scoring. Sidibé suffered a serious injury after just a few minutes of the match which ruled him out until the end of February. There was an unsavory moment in the match when Fulham defender
John Paintsil John Paintsil (born 15 June 1981) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who was an assistant coach at Kaizer Chiefs in the South African Premier Soccer League. He played club football for Berekum Arsenal, Liberty Professionals, Maccabi ...
theatrically threw himself to the ground after minimal contact from Ricardo Fuller. Fuller branded Paintsil's actions as "disgraceful". Over 5,000 Stoke fans travelled to Blackburn Rovers as the club put on free coach travel, Pulis named an unusual starting eleven which included back-up 'keeper
Steve Simonsen Steven Preben Arthur Simonsen (born 3 April 1979) is an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, he started his senior career at Tranmere Rovers before spells with Everton, Stoke City and Sheffield ...
,
Ryan Shawcross Ryan James Shawcross (born 4 October 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is currently an assistant coach with MLS Next Pro club Inter Miami II. Shawcross began his career with Manchester United ...
at right-back and reserve striker
Vincent Péricard Vincent de Paul Péricard (born 3 October 1982) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward in France with Saint-Étienne and in Italy with Juventus before moving to England, where he played for several clubs. He has also ...
starting. Rovers had new manager Sam Allardyce making his home debut and his team took control of the match early on. Sonko clumsily brought down Pedersen and Benni McCarthy made no mistake from the spot. Jason Roberts added a second before McCarthy made it 3–0 before half time. Only Steve Simonsen prevented Rovers adding more in the second half. On Boxing day Stoke took on Manchester United in what was a bad tempered affair. Carlos Tevez scored the only goal for the away side in the second half, after
Andy Wilkinson Andrew Gordon Wilkinson (born 6 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Wilkinson joined Stoke City's academy from his local club Stone Dominoes and made his professional debut in October 2001. Sin ...
had been sent off for two bookable offences. Stoke made the trip to West London for their match against West Ham still looking for their first away win. City made the best possible start when Abdoulaye Faye powerfully headed in after just 4 minutes. It became a tight game for the remainder of the first half and City went in at the break a goal up. However
Carlton Cole Carlton Michael George Cole (born 12 October 1983) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. He scored 52 goals in 288 Premier League appearances for four clubs. Cole began his career at Chelsea ...
equalized for the Hammers after some poor defending from
Andy Griffin Andrew Griffin (born 17 March 1979) is an English former footballer. Griffin began his career at Stoke City, where he established a reputation as a solid wing-back defender. His impressive performances for the "Potters" led to him being signe ...
. Following West Ham's goal, Fuller argued with Griffin, before slapping the Stoke captain's face. Mike Jones gave Fuller a straight red for violent conduct and West Ham went on to win the match 2–1,
Diego Tristán Diego Tristán Herrera (born 5 January 1976) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker. At his peak, he was considered amongst the best players in his position in Europe, displaying a vast array of skills: dribbling, ...
earning the Hammers the three points. On 1 January 2009, Tony Pulis confirmed that Fuller and Griffin had "kissed and made up" after a team meeting. Fuller said Griffin had been "very rude and disrespectful", but accepted that his actions had been worse.


January

After their embarrassing exit to Hartlepool United in the FA Cup Stoke took on title challengers Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium. Pulis gave new signing
Matthew Etherington Matthew Etherington (born 14 August 1981) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club Crawley Town. As a player, Etherington played as a winger, most notably in the Premier League for ...
his debut as Stoke made a bright start to the match. Firstly Delap hit the crossbar from seven yards and then Shawcross put the ball past Reina but the goal was ruled out for offside. Liverpool rarely threatened up until the final few minutes when Gerrard hit the woodwork twice, and the match finished in a 0–0 draw. James Beattie made his Stoke debut against Chelsea following his transfer from Sheffield United. Stoke suffered a blow early into the match as both Amdy Faye and Danny Higginbotham had to depart due to injury. Stoke took a surprise lead in the 60th minute when Delap broke free and beat Cech. Stoke thought they had done enough to claim victory but in the 88th minute Chelsea equalised though Juliano Belletti then
Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielder ...
scored with the final kick of the game to give Stoke a bitter defeat. Stoke went in the game at Tottenham looking for their first win since the beginning of December. However any hopes of getting a result were ended in the first half as Spurs took control ruthlessly and went in at half time 3–0 in the lead. Stoke did manage to gain a consolation in the second half when Beattie scored his first goal for the club. Manchester City made the trip to the Britannia and the end of January and made a bright start with Robinho and
Stephen Ireland Stephen James Ireland (born 22 August 1986) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Ireland began his career with Cobh Ramblers before joining English club Manchester City in 2001. He made his profess ...
going closest. Delap was sent off in the 38th minute when he kicked the ball at
Shaun Wright-Phillips Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips (born 25 October 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He played in the Premier League and Football League for Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers, in Major L ...
after the Man City player fouled Etherington. Stoke took the lead against the run of play in the 45th minute when Beattie out jumped Wayne Bridge and headed past Joe Hart. Man City controlled the second half but never managed to score the equaliser and Stoke gained a valuable three points.


February

Stoke were boosted by two transfer deadline day captures with the loans of Birmingham's Stephen Kelly and Wigan's
Henri Camara Henri Camara (born 10 May 1977) is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a striker. Starting his career in the late 1990s, he went on to play professionally in France, Switzerland, Scotland, England, and Greece before retiri ...
. Stoke suffered a major blow after just 30 minutes in the match in Wearside when Pulis had to make three substitutions all due to injury. Sunderland took the lead in the second half through a typical
Kenwyne Jones Kenwyne Joel Jones CM (born 5 October 1984) is a Trinidadian football manager and retired professional player who played as a forward. He currently manages the Trinidad and Tobago women's national team. He began his football career with Joe P ...
header Camara then managed to hit the crossbar from just four-yard's. Etherington was sent off for needlessly tripping
Danny Collins Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to the male name Daniel. It may refer to: People * Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English journal ...
and David Healy gave Sunderland a 2–0 win. The match against Portsmouth came alive in the final 15 minutes, Kranjcar gave Pompey the lead and from the restart Stoke were awarded a penalty after Glen Johnson handled in the area. Beattie scored to bring Stoke back level, he scored again just two minutes later after he headed in a
Danny Pugh Daniel Adam Pugh (born 19 October 1982) is an English professional football coach and former player. A versatile player, he could play in midfield or at left-back. He began his career with Manchester United, and made a handful of first team ...
cross. With Stoke set for a much needed three points Shawcross under pressure from Hreidarsson sliced the ball in his own net to give Pompey a point.


March

Abdoulaye Faye was ruled out of the match against Aston Villa meaning that an unfamiliar back pairing of Sonko and Higginbotham started. In the first half Villa dominated and it became only a matter of time before they scored, it came on the stroke of half time through Bulgarian Stiliyan Petrov. Sorensen injured himself trying to save Petrov's goal and was replaced at half time by Simonsen. Stoke were improved second half but couldn't score the equaliser, and the game looked finished after 80 minutes as John Carew fired Villa in to a 2–0 lead. Stoke continued to push forward though and went close through Shawcross and Whelan who hit the post, Stoke did pull one back in the 88th minute when Shawcross headed in a cross from Beattie. Remarkably Stoke managed to score again in the final minute as Glenn Whelan's volley beat Brad Friedel to claim an unlikely 2–2 draw. Bolton were next opponents for Stoke and should have taken the lead through Elmander after 11 minutes. City responded in cynical fashion though and took the lead with their first chance of the game just three minutes later. Gary Megson's side failed to deal with Abdoulaye Faye's long ball forward and Whelan nipped in to head the ball through to Beattie, and he made no mistake from ten yards by easily placing the ball past the helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen. Both sides continued to create and miss chances as the game became an entertaining affair. Stoke sealed the win when Fuller took advantage of Wanderers failing to clear a Delap throw in. Stoke made the trip to
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...
for the first time since 1985 still looking for their first away win in the Premier League. The Toffees took control early on and goals from Brazilian
Jô João Alves de Assis Silva (born 20 March 1987), known as Jô () or João Alves, is a Brazilian professional footballer. He has previously played for Nagoya Grampus, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, Everton, Galatasaray, Internacional, Atlétic ...
and
Joleon Lescott Joleon Patrick Lescott (born 16 August 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He currently works as a coach with the England U21s. Lescott is a graduate of the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth academy. H ...
gave the home side a 2–0 half-time lead. Stoke responded in the second half through a Shawcross header and came close to getting an equaliser but
Marouane Fellaini Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese club Shandong Taishan. Born in Etterbeek to Moroccan parents, Fellaini played youth football for Anderlecht, R.A.E.C. ...
made the points safe for Everton in added time. Stoke then faced Middlesbrough in a relegation clash at the Britannia Stadium. It was a scrappy encounter and with the game seemingly destined for a draw Stoke scored through Shawcross via a Delap throw to give Stoke a vital three points and leave Boro rooted in the bottom three.


April

Stoke made the short trip to West Brom and made a flying start with Fuller scoring after just 80 seconds, Stoke went on to dominate the hosts and only
Scott Carson Scott Paul Carson (born 3 September 1985) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City. Carson joined t ...
keeping the Baggies in the match. Stoke sealed their first Premier League away win and their first away win in the top flight since May 1984 after Beattie curled his shot past Carson to seal a 2–0 victory. Relegation-threatened Newcastle United along with their new manager
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer CBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and retired football player and manager who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premie ...
were the next side to come to the Britannia Stadium, Newcastle struggled throughout and Stoke took the lead after 33 minutes when former Newcastle player Abdoulaye Faye powerfully headed in a Liam Lawrence corner. Stoke had a number of chances to score the second but were unable to find the net and Newcastle claimed a fortunate point with ten minutes remaining through Andy Carroll. Stoke then faced another relegation-threatened side in the form of Blackburn Rovers. The only goal came after 75 minutes when Liam Lawrence drilled the ball past Paul Robinson to send the Potters eight points above the relegation zone. Stoke made the trip to the capital to face in form Fulham; the home side took control of the match early into the match and took the lead in the 29th minute through
Erik Nevland Erik Nevland (born 10 November 1977) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently the sporting director of Viking FK. He played for clubs in Norway, England, Sweden and the Netherlands, and earned eight c ...
. Stoke were much improved in the second half and a number of chances to level but the match finished 1–0 to Europe-bound Fulham.


May

West Ham were next to arrive at Stoke and became the first team to win at the Britannia Stadium in 2009. The match was a very tight affair with on the only goal being scored by a
Diego Tristan Diego is a Spanish language, Spanish masculine given name. The Portuguese language, Portuguese equivalent is Diogo (name), Diogo. The name also has several patronymic derivations, listed below. The etymology of Diego is disputed, with two majo ...
free-kick after 33 minutes. A win away at Hull City would confirm survival for Stoke with two games remaining and with Phil Brown's side also looking for vital points in order to climb out of the relegation zone. It turned out to be a very entertaining match with both sides going all out for the win, it was City though who took the lead. Lawrence put in a dangerous ball which fell through to Fuller, and he pounced from 6 yards to slam the ball into the bottom corner of
Boaz Myhill Glyn Oliver "Boaz" Myhill (born 9 November 1982; ) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He represented the Wales national team from 2008 to 2013. Born in the United States to an American father and Welsh mother, Myh ...
's goal. Hull came out fighting in the second half and brought on Geovanni, Manucho, and
Bernard Mendy Bernard Mendy (born 20 August 1981) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He was known for his blistering pace and constant overlapping runs. He most recently served as the assistant manager of Paris Saint-Germain ...
in an attempt to draw level. However it was Stoke who kept creating chances with Whelan's half volley hitting the crossbar. Stoke sealed their survival with a long-range goal from Liam Lawrence on 73 minutes. Hull scored a consolation through an
Andy Dawson Andrew Stuart Dawson (born 20 October 1978) is an English former professional footballer and coach. He is part of the coaching staff at Hull City. As a player he was a defender from 1997 to 2015. Having left Nottingham Forest as a youngster ...
free kick in the final minute. The season's penultimate game was against Wigan Athletic at home. The match was played in a relaxed atmosphere and was an entertaining game, Stoke winning 2–0 thanks to a trademark sole goal from Fuller and a well worked goal from James Beattie. The final game of the 2008–09 season came at Arsenal with Stoke making their first trip to the
Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...
. Stoke lost 4–1 with all the goals coming in the first half. An own goal from Beattie opened the scoring for Arsenal with further goals from Abou Diaby and a brace from
Robin van Persie Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball co ...
. Stoke's goal came from a Fuller penalty after he was brought down in the area by a cynical foul by Denilson.


Results


Final league table


FA Cup

Stoke were drawn against League One Hartlepool United in the third round of the FA Cup. Manager Pulis decided to field a largely reserve side with the likes of Andy Davies, Ibrahima Sonko, Tom Soares, Michael Tonge all getting rare run outs. However that decision backfired as Stoke were awful and Hartlepool claimed a shock 2–0 victory with goals from Michael Nelson and a wonder goal from
David Foley David John Foley (born 12 May 1987) is an English footballer. He played in the Football League for Hartlepool United and in the North American Soccer League for the Puerto Rico Islanders and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Known for being captai ...
.


League Cup

Stoke manager Tony Pulis made a large number of changes for the game at Cheltenham to give the Stoke side a largely reserve look. It turned out to an entertaining game as Stoke opened the scoring at the beginning of the second half through a
Glenn Whelan Glenn David Whelan (born 13 January 1984) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bristol Rovers. He has represented the Republic of Ireland national football team. Whelan started his career at Manchester Ci ...
freekick. It was 2–0 three minutes later when
Richard Cresswell Richard Paul Wesley Cresswell (born 20 September 1977) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Football League for York City, Mansfield Town, Sheffield Wednesda ...
outpaced the Cheltenham defence and rounded Robins keeper
Shane Higgs Shane Peter Higgs (born 13 May 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made 306 appearances in the Football League and Football Conference between 1996 and 2012, most notably spending ten years at Chelte ...
.
Ashley Vincent Ashley Derek Vincent (born 26 May 1985) is an English former football player and manager. He played on the wing or as a striker, and was renowned for his pace. He graduated through the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth system to win a contract wit ...
gave Cheltenham hope before
Jon Parkin Jonathan Parkin (born 30 December 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. While never making a Premier League appearance, Parkin played extensively in all Football League divisions, and (excluding loan spel ...
sealed the win for Stoke. Alex Russell scored a consolation for the home side deep in to added time. Stoke took on Championship side
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
in the third round of the League Cup and took the lead through Pericard after nine minutes. James Henry pulled the Royals level from the spot before Sidibé but Stoke back in front. However Henry scored again to send the tie into extra time. There was no more goals meaning the a penalty shootout would be required,
Leroy Lita Leroy Halirou Bohari Lita (born 28 December 1984) is an English footballer who plays for Nuneaton Borough. Lita was a product of the Chelsea youth system but never made a first-team appearance for the club; in 2002, he moved to Bristol City and ...
missed his decisive spot kick and Stoke went through. Rotherham United made it through to face City in the fourth round and posed an early threat to a largely reserve Stoke side in what was a bright opening 10 minutes by the League Two side. However City took control of the game and took the lead after 21 minutes though another Whelan freekick which left Andy Warrington with no chance of saving. Stoke sealed their place in the quarter final of the League Cup for the first time since 1978 when
Danny Pugh Daniel Adam Pugh (born 19 October 1982) is an English professional football coach and former player. A versatile player, he could play in midfield or at left-back. He began his career with Manchester United, and made a handful of first team ...
scored his first goal for the club. Stoke faced Derby in the quarters and it proved to be very frustrating night for the home side as with just ten seconds remaining Rob Styles adjudged former Ram
Andy Griffin Andrew Griffin (born 17 March 1979) is an English former footballer. Griffin began his career at Stoke City, where he established a reputation as a solid wing-back defender. His impressive performances for the "Potters" led to him being signe ...
to have handled the ball inside the penalty area in the 93rd minute, and
Nathan Ellington Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington (born 2 July 1981) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Ellington started his playing career with non-League side Tooting & Mitcham United. Having played once for the club, he sw ...
stepped up to send Derby through.


Squad statistics


Transfers


In


Out


Loan in


Loan out


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 Stoke City F.C. season Stoke City F.C. seasons
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...