| Season: | 1963–64 |
| Chairman: | Mr G. Taylor |
| League Result: | 17th (38 Points) |
| Cup1 Result: | Fifth round |
| Cup2 Result: | Final (runners-up) |
| League Topscorer: | John Ritchie (18) |
| Season Topscorer: | John Ritchie (30) |
| Highest Attendance: | 45,697 vs Manchester United (18 April 1964) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 20,488 vs Bolton Wanderers (22 February 1964) |
| Average Attendance: | 30,315 |
| Nextseason: | 1964–65 |
| Pattern La1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern B1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern Ra1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern So1: | _color_3_stripes_white |
| Shorts1: | FFFFFF |
| Socks1: | FF0000 |
The 1963–64 season was Stoke City's 57th season in the Football League and the 33rd in the First Division.
With the club now on a high after gaining promotion back to England's top tier, Tony Waddington wasted no time in bringing in new signings to make sure relegation was avoided. He broke the transfer record and despite some concern during the season Stoke stayed up comfortably in 17th position. Stoke enjoyed success in the League Cup reaching the final against Leicester City before losing 4–3 over two legs.[1]
With the euphoria of winning promotion over, Waddington knew that his side had to be strengthened to have any hope of surviving in the First Division.[1] The first big name signing he made was that of Peter Dobing for a club record fee of £37,500 from Manchester City and £6,000 for Bobby Irvine a young goalkeeper from Linfield.[1] Also signed by Stoke this season was John Ritchie a centre forward signed from non-league Kettering Town for a small fee of £2,500.[1] Ritchie scored 30 goals in his first season and went on to become Stoke's best ever goalscorer.[1]
Stoke made a dream start to the 1963–64 season beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 at home on the opening match of the season, Jimmy McIlroy scoring both goals, and then accounting for Aston Villa 3–1 two days later.[1] There followed though, a run of 10 matches without a win and Stoke found themselves at the wrong end of the table.[1] Waddington was not happy with his defence and went out and bought Calvin Palmer from Nottingham Forest for £30,000 and George Kinnell from Aberdeen for £27,000 and another 'keeper Lawrie Leslie from West Ham United.[1] On the other hand, he released Don Ratcliffe, and Ron Wilson.[1] John Ritchie was introduced into the first team by October and he made an instant impression as he started scoring the first few of his 171 for the club.[1] With Ritchie in full flow, things improved and in nine matches from early October to mid November, Stoke remained unbeaten.[1] However around Christmas time the team again went through a bad spell losing eight times including some heavy defeats.[1]
Stoke recovered well in the second half of the season and began to pull themselves away from the danger zone.[1] A huge 9–1 win over Ipswich Town in March gave the team the confidence they needed and five wins in their last nine fixtures lifted Stoke to a final position of 17th, 10 points above relegated Bolton Wanderers.[1]
Stoke beat Portsmouth 4–1 in the third round and then edged past Ipswich in a replay before losing in a replay to Swansea.[1]
Away from the league Stoke had a great run in this seasons League Cup having made an unspectacular start to the competition which started in 1960.[1] In 1963–64 they made it through to the final where they met Leicester City.[1] Stoke's run had seen them knock-out Scunthorpe United after three matches, Bolton Wanderers, Bournemouth, Rotherham United and then Manchester City in the semi-final.[1] The final itself was played over two legs, Stoke drawing 1–1 at the Victoria Ground in the first clash. This proved to be insufficient as Leicester won the return leg at Filbert Street 3–2 giving them a 4–3 aggregate win and with it the League Cup.[1]
Stoke's score comes first
| Win | Draw | Loss |
See main article: 1963–64 Football League.
| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 August 1963 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 40,017 | McIlroy (2) | |
| 2 | 26 August 1963 | Aston Villa | A | 3–1 | 39,041 | Dobing (2), Mudie | |
| 3 | 31 August 1963 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–2 | 43,217 | Viollet | |
| 4 | 4 September 1963 | Aston Villa | H | 2–2 | 36,649 | Viollet, Dobing | |
| 5 | 7 September 1963 | Leicester City | H | 3–3 | 34,453 | Viollet (2), Asprey | |
| 6 | 11 September 1963 | Sheffield United | A | 1–4 | 25,347 | McIlroy | |
| 7 | 14 September 1963 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0–1 | 34,458 | ||
| 8 | 18 September 1963 | Sheffield United | H | 0–2 | 30,230 | ||
| 9 | 21 September 1963 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–1 | 30,517 | ||
| 10 | 28 September 1963 | Blackpool | H | 1–2 | 27,244 | Clamp (pen) | |
| 11 | 5 October 1963 | Chelsea | A | 3–3 | 29,204 | Mudie (2), Harris (o.g.) | |
| 12 | 9 October 1963 | Arsenal | H | 1–2 | 31,014 | McIlroy | |
| 13 | 12 October 1963 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 4–3 | 17,366 | McIlroy (2), Ritchie (2) | |
| 14 | 19 October 1963 | Fulham | H | 1–1 | 24,464 | Ritchie | |
| 15 | 26 October 1963 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 3–2 | 23,800 | Ritchie, Dobing, Palmer | |
| 16 | 2 November 1963 | Burnley | H | 4–4 | 37,279 | Ritchie (2), Dobing, Bebbington | |
| 17 | 9 November 1963 | Ipswich Town | A | 2–0 | 15,006 | Ritchie, Dobing | |
| 18 | 16 November 1963 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 4–4 | 30,695 | Ritchie (3), Dobing | |
| 19 | 23 November 1963 | Everton | A | 0–2 | 47,143 | ||
| 20 | 30 November 1963 | Birmingham City | H | 4–1 | 27,308 | Ritchie (2), Dobing, Kinnell | |
| 21 | 7 December 1963 | Manchester United | A | 2–5 | 52,232 | Ritchie, Dobing | |
| 22 | 14 December 1963 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–2 | 36,209 | Palmer | |
| 23 | 21 December 1963 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–2 | 27,070 | ||
| 24 | 26 December 1963 | Liverpool | A | 1–6 | 49,948 | Ritchie | |
| 25 | 11 January 1964 | Leicester City | A | 1–2 | 23,333 | Clamp | |
| 26 | 18 January 1964 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–0 | 17,872 | ||
| 27 | 1 February 1964 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 3–1 | 32,275 | Bridgwood, Bebbington (2) | |
| 28 | 8 February 1964 | Blackpool | A | 0–1 | 14,452 | ||
| 29 | 22 February 1964 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0–1 | 20,488 | ||
| 30 | 29 February 1964 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | 26,208 | Kinnell | |
| 31 | 4 March 1964 | Chelsea | H | 2–0 | 21,264 | Palmer, Dobing | |
| 32 | 7 March 1964 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–1 | 25,021 | Viollet | |
| 33 | 21 March 1964 | Ipswich Town | H | 9–1 | 16,166 | Viollet (3), Dobing, McIlroy (2), Bebbington, Ritchie (2) | |
| 34 | 27 March 1964 | West Ham United | A | 1–4 | 29,484 | Dobing | |
| 35 | 28 March 1964 | Burnley | A | 0–1 | 23,869 | ||
| 36 | 31 March 1964 | West Ham United | H | 3–0 | 24,990 | Dobing, McIlroy, Palmer | |
| 37 | 4 April 1964 | Everton | H | 3–2 | 35,315 | Bebbington (2), Viollet | |
| 38 | 8 April 1964 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–2 | 30,201 | ||
| 39 | 11 April 1964 | Birmingham City | A | 1–0 | 19,890 | Kinnell (pen) | |
| 40 | 18 April 1964 | Manchester United | H | 3–1 | 45,697 | Palmer, Viollet, Ritchie | |
| 41 | 25 April 1964 | Fulham | A | 3–3 | 15,748 | Dobing (2), Bridgwood | |
| 42 | 29 April 1964 | Liverpool | H | 3–1 | 32,149 | Dobing, Ritchie, Bebbington |
See main article: 1963–64 FA Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | 4 January 1964 | Portsmouth | H | 4–1 | 28,966 | Ritchie (2), Viollet (2) | |
| R4 | 25 January 1964 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–1 | 21,894 | McIlroy | |
| R4 Replay | 29 January 1964 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–0 | 34,612 | McIlroy | |
| R5 | 15 February 1964 | Swansea City | H | 2–2 | 40,095 | McIlroy, Matthews | |
| R5 Replay | 18 February 1964 | Swansea City | A | 0–2 | 29,582 |
See main article: 1963–64 Football League Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | 25 September 1963 | Scunthorpe United | A | 2–2 | 6,945 | Dobing (2) | |
| R2 Replay | 16 October 1963 | Scunthorpe United | H | 3–3 | 11,060 | Dobing, Ritchie (2) | |
| R2 2nd Replay | 22 October 1963 | Scunthorpe United | N | 1–0 | 4,297 | Ritchie | |
| R3 | 29 October 1963 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–0 | 11,285 | Ritchie (2), Bebbington | |
| R4 | 27 November 1963 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 2–1 | 9,766 | Ritchie (2) | |
| Quarter-final | 16 December 1963 | Rotherham United | H | 3–2 | 12,988 | Ritchie (2), Kinnell | |
| Semi-final 1st Leg | 15 January 1964 | Manchester City | H | 2–0 | 21,019 | Ritchie, Asprey | |
| Semi-final 2nd Leg | 2 February 1964 | Manchester City | A | 0–1 | 16,894 | ||
| Final 1st Leg | 15 April 1964 | Leicester City | H | 1–1 | 22,369 | Bebbington | |
| Final 2nd Leg | 22 April 1964 | Leicester City | A | 2–3 | 25,372 | Kinnell, Viollet |
| Match | Opponent | Venue | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FK Austria Wien | A | 0–1 | |
| 2 | Aberdeen | A | 0–2 | |
| 3 | Benfica | H | 0–1 | |
| 4 | Belenenses | A | 0–0 | |
| 5 | Club Santa Fe | A | 2–3 | |
| 6 | Independiente Medellín | A | 3–0 | |
| 7 | Club Universidad de Chile | A | 0–0 | |
| 8 | Boca Juniors | A | 2–1 | |
| 9 | River Plate | A | 0–5 | |
| 10 | San Lorenzo | A | 1–2 |
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| GK | Bobby Irvine | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| GK | Lawrie Leslie | 25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| GK | Jimmy O'Neill | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| DF | Tony Allen | 41 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 56 | 0 | |
| DF | Ron Andrew | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| DF | Alan Bloor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | George Kinnell | 24 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 34 | 5 | |
| DF | Eric Skeels | 39 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 54 | 0 | |
| DF |  Eddie Stuart | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| DF | Ron Wilson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | Bill Asprey | 29 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 42 | 2 | |
| MF | Gerry Bridgwood | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 2 | |
| MF | Eddie Clamp | 18 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
| MF | John Flowers | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| MF | Jackie Mudie | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | |
| MF | Calvin Palmer | 30 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 40 | 5 | |
| FW | Keith Bebbington | 36 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 49 | 9 | |
| FW | Peter Dobing | 39 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 50 | 19 | |
| FW | Jimmy McIlroy | 32 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 43 | 12 | |
| FW | Stanley Matthews | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| FW | Don Ratcliffe | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| FW | John Ritchie | 29 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 42 | 30 | |
| FW | Dennis Viollet | 32 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 41 | 13 | |
| – | Own goals | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | |