The 1909–10 season was Stoke's second in the Birmingham & District League and the first in the Southern Football League.

Stoke decided to enter two league competitions this season with the directors feeling that the Southern Football League represented a better chance to be re-elected into the Football League. Stoke won the Southern Football League Division Two A with ease winning all ten of their matches and the Division Two championship play-off. They scored 48 goals conceding only 9, but promotion was not gained due to a league reorganisation. The Birmingham & District League was a lot harder and Stoke finished in 7th place.

Season review

League Stoke played in two league competitions during the 1909–10 season, in the Birmingham & District League and in the Southern League Division Two. This meant a total of 44 league fixtures would be played during the season.

The standard of football in the Southern League was of a poor quality and Stoke took the championship with ease, winning all of their 10 matches with a goal-average of 48-9. They started off with an 11–0 home victory over Merthyr Town and never looked back. On 25 April 1910, Stoke met Hastings & St Leonards United (winners of Division Two B) in a 'championship decider' and Stoke easily won 6–0 to claim the title.

The Birmingham league was considerably tougher and it was dominated by Aston Villa's reserve side. Stoke finished in 7th place, never threatening to challenge the leaders throughout the campaign. Arthur Griffiths, who had returned to the club from Oldham Athletic, top scored this season amassing 38 goals in all competitions.

FA Cup The biggest crowd of the season at the Victoria Ground (18,000) came in the FA Cup first round against Newcastle United. Stoke having progressed past Ilkeston and Exeter City in the qualifying rounds. Stoke held the Geordies to a 1–1 draw but lost 2–1 in the replay up in the north east and Newcastle went on to lift the cup. Stoke also played in the Birmingham League Cup for the one and only time losing to Aston Villa's second string in the third round. The directors decided that the Birmingham League Cup was not a worthwhile competition to enter.

Final league table Birmingham & District League

Southern Football League Division Two A

Results

Stoke's score comes first

Legend WinDrawLoss

Birmingham & District League

MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers1 4 September 1909 Burton UnitedA0–22,0002 11 September 1909 Wolverhampton Wanderers ReservesA2–23,000Griffiths (2)3 18 September 1909 Wolverhampton Wanderers ReservesH0–25,0004 23 September 1909 Shrewsbury TownA1–01,500Leese5 25 September 1909 WalsallH5–13,000Baddeley (2), Millward (2), Cook (o.g.)6 2 October 1909 Aston Villa ReservesA1–26,000Smith7 9 October 1909 Kidderminster HarriersH4–23,000Griffiths (2), Leese (2)8 16 October 1909 StourbridgeA0–51,0009 23 October 1909 Worcester CityH3–12,000Griffiths (2), Leigh10 30 October 1909 West Bromwich Albion ReservesH1–38,500Baddeley11 6 November 1909 Wellington TownA0–12,00012 13 November 1909 HalesowenH4–02,000Griffiths (2), Leese, Millward13 27 November 1909 Birmingham ReservesH4–06,000Griffiths (2), Leese, Leigh14 11 December 1909 Brierley Hill AllianceH4–12,000Griffiths (2), Millward, Turner15 18 December 1909 WrexhamA2–13,000Baddeley, Leese16 28 December 1909 Dudley TownA4–52,000Baddeley, Leese (2), Millward 17 1 January 1910 Crewe AlexandraA2–45,000Griffiths, Leigh18 8 January 1910 Burton UnitedH8–02,000Griffiths (2), Leigh, Baddeley (3), Millward, Hall19 29 January 1910 Shrewsbury TownH2–12,000Baddeley, Leese20 5 February 1910 WalsallA2–23,000Baddeley, Griffiths21 12 February 1910 Aston Villa ReservesH3–210,000Baddeley, Griffiths (2)22 19 February 1910 Kidderminster HarriersA0–12,00023 26 February 1910 StourbridgeH6–13,000S Baddeley, Griffiths (2), Leese, Millward, Taylor24 5 March 1910 Worcester CityA1–12,000Millward25 12 March 1910 West Bromwich Albion ReservesA1–14,500Griffiths26 19 March 1910 Wellington TownH5–12,500Hall (2), Smith (2), Taylor27 26 March 1910 HalesowenA1–21,000Hall28 28 March 1910 Crewe AlexandraH0–015,00029 2 April 1910 Dudley TownH6–13,000Griffiths (2), Leigh (2), Smith, Taylor30 4 April 1910 Stafford RangersA0–01,00031 16 April 1910 Stafford RangersH3–13,000Griffiths, Millward (2)32 18 April 1910 Birmingham ReservesA3–04,000Griffiths, Millward, Taylor33 23 April 1910 Brierley Hill AllianceA2–22,000Millward, Leese34 30 April 1910 WrexhamH3–03,000Millward, Leese, Baddeley

Southern Football League Division Two A

MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers1 1 September 1909 Merthyr TownH11–04,000Griffiths (3), Leese, Millward, Smith (4), Tomlinson (2)2 13 September 1909 Merthyr TownA4–23,000Griffiths, Leese, Tomlinson, Leigh3 30 September 1909 Ton PentreH8–12,500Griffiths (3), Baddeley (2), Smith (2), Jones (o.g.)4 4 October 1909 AberdareA2–02,000Baddeley, Leese5 8 November 1909 AberdareH3–24,000Baddeley, Smith (2)6 25 December 1909 Burton UnitedA7–12,000Baddeley (5), Griffiths, Millward7 27 December 1909 Burton UnitedH5–04,000Baddeley, S Baddeley, Leigh (2), Smith8 22 January 1910 Salisbury CityA3–21,000Leese (2), Smith9 25 March 1910 Ton PentreA3–13,000Griffiths (2), Smith 10 14 April 1910 Salisbury CityH2–03,000Baddeley (2)

Division Two championship play-off

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers 25 April 1910 Hastings & St Leonards UnitedH6–07,000Griffiths, Leese, Smith (3), Turner

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers4QR20 November 1909 Ilkeston UnitedH2–02,000Leigh, Smith5QR4 December 1909 Exeter CityH0–07,0005QR Replay8 December 1909 Exeter CityA1–13,500Leese5QR Second Replay13 December 1909 Exeter CityN2–13,000Leigh, MillwardR115 January 1910 Newcastle UnitedH1–118,000BaddeleyR1 Replay19 January 1910 Newcastle UnitedA1–214,000Griffiths

Birmingham League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersR120 September 1909 Brierley Hill AllianceH2–22,000Griffiths, SmithR1 Replay18 October 1909 Brierley Hill AllianceA5–01,500A Baddeley (4), S BaddeleyR21 November 1909 StourbridgeH3–12,000Leigh, Smith, TomlinsonR39 April 1910 Aston Villa ReservesA1–24,000Leigh

Squad statistics Pos.NameLeagueFA CupBirmingham League CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGK Tom Baddeley70001080GK Jack Benton40000040GK Fred Rathbone70000070GK Jack Robinson2706020350DF Dick Hawe10000010DF James Hay3306030420DF Harry Hutsby40002060DF Charles James30000030DF Ernest Mullineux3105030390DF George Turner2021010222DF Jimmy Williams50100060MF Sam Baddeley4226041523MF Archie Dyke10000010MF Ellis Hall3946040494MF Fred Lewis20000020MF William Owen20000020MF Albert Pitt10000010MF Fred Steel30000030MF Fred Tomlinson1933031254FW Amos Baddeley302421443629FW Albert Bullock10000010FW Thomas Greaves20000020FW Arthur Griffiths423661415238FW Vic Horrocks00100010FW Harry Leese401861405019FW Harry Leigh42952425113FW Ernie Millward401561204816FW William Smith371861324621FW Harry Taylor1040000104–Own goals–2–0–0–2

References