| Season: | 1981–82 |
| Chairman: | Percy Axon |
| League Result: | 18th (44 Points) |
| Cup1 Result: | Third Round |
| Cup2 Result: | Second Round |
| League Topscorer: | Lee Chapman (16) |
| Season Topscorer: | Lee Chapman (17) |
| Highest Attendance: | 25,256 vs Manchester City (5 September 1981) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 9,120 vs Brighton & Hove Albion (20 March 1982) |
| Average Attendance: | 14,635 |
| Nextseason: | 1982–83 |
| Pattern La1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern B1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern Ra1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern Sh1: | _red_stripes |
| Shorts1: | FFFFFF |
| Socks1: | FFFFFF |
The 1981–82 season was Stoke City's 75th season in the Football League and the 49th in the First Division.
In the Summer of 1981 Alan Durban quit as Stoke manager to take up the same position at Sunderland. His former assistant at Shrewsbury Town, Ritchie Barker was appointed as manager and despite a good start the team were involved in a relegation battle. The arrival of Sammy McIlroy from Manchester United helped Stoke to scrape to survival finishing two points away from the drop zone.[1]
Alan Durban's ambitions were bigger than Stoke's and in the summer of 1981 he was tempted by Sunderland's cash to become their manager.[1] Durban's former assistant at Shrewsbury Town, Ritchie Barker was appointed as manager at the Victoria Ground and he inherited a reasonable squad of players but he also knew that the club had financial problems, which to a certain extent were eased when for the first time players wore shirts with a sponsor's name across their chests, Ricoh.[1] By this time Barker had sold Kevin Sheldon, Paul Johnson, Paul Richardson and Iain Munro.[1]
The 1981–82 season saw the introduction of three points for a win and Stoke got their first trio of points on the opening day of the season away at Arsenal.[1] This was followed by a 4–0 win at home against Coventry City.[1] However results and performances declined and after picking up just four more wins by January Stoke found themselves in a fight against relegation.[1] Youth team product Adrian Heath was fast becoming one of the most talked about midfielders in the division and so Barker allowed him to join Everton for a healthy £700,000.[1] He brought in England international David Watson from Southampton for £50,000 to replace the ageing Denis Smith and Sammy McIlroy for £350,000.[1] Mike Doyle left soon after Watson's arrival following an argument with Barker.[1] Despite an upturn in the results in February Stoke managed just a point in their next nine matches.[1] With Stoke looking destined for relegation McIlroy proved to be a calming influence and Stoke managed to survive by two points.[1]
A poor crowd of 12,805 saw Norwich City beat Stoke 1–0 in the third round.[1]
Manchester City again knocked Stoke out of the League Cup at the second round this time on penalties.[1]
Stoke's score comes first
| Win | Draw | Loss |
See main article: 1981–82 Football League.
| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 August 1981 | Arsenal | A | 1–0 | 28,212 | Chapman 44' | |
| 2 | 2 September 1981 | Coventry City | H | 4–0 | 13,914 | Chapman (2) 5', 77', Heath (2) 12', 54' | |
| 3 | 5 September 1981 | Manchester City | H | 1–3 | 25,256 | Chapman 62' | |
| 4 | 12 September 1981 | West Ham United | A | 2–3 | 28,774 | O'Callaghan 29', Maguire 87' (pen) | |
| 5 | 19 September 1981 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1–2 | 15,653 | Heath 5' | |
| 6 | 23 September 1981 | Aston Villa | A | 2–2 | 25,637 | Griffiths 63', Maguire 65' (pen) | |
| 7 | 26 September 1981 | Middlesbrough | A | 2–3 | 11,604 | Griffiths 18', Chapman 80' | |
| 8 | 3 October 1981 | Everton | H | 3–1 | 16,007 | Chapman (2) 2', 90', Maguire 80' | |
| 9 | 10 October 1981 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–2 | 30,520 | ||
| 10 | 17 October 1981 | Swansea City | H | 1–2 | 14,665 | Griffiths 35' | |
| 11 | 24 October 1981 | Birmingham City | H | 1–0 | 15,399 | Chapman 50' | |
| 12 | 31 October 1981 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–0 | 17,862 | ||
| 13 | 7 November 1981 | Southampton | H | 0–2 | 13,884 | ||
| 14 | 14 November 1981 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 2–1 | 15,787 | Heath 25', Chapman 37' | |
| 15 | 21 November 1981 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–0 | 13,802 | Chapman 60', Maguire 90' | |
| 16 | 24 November 1981 | Coventry City | A | 0–3 | 10,250 | ||
| 17 | 28 November 1981 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–2 | 15,314 | ||
| 18 | 5 December 1981 | Leeds United | H | 1–2 | 13,901 | Heath 51' | |
| 19 | 9 January 1982 | Manchester City | A | 1–1 | 31,491 | O'Callaghan 39' | |
| 20 | 20 January 1982 | Arsenal | H | 0–1 | 9,625 | ||
| 21 | 23 January 1982 | Manchester United | H | 0–3 | 19,662 | ||
| 22 | 30 January 1982 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–0 | 16,219 | ||
| 23 | 6 February 1982 | West Ham United | H | 2–1 | 11,987 | Chapman 10', Maguire 80' | |
| 24 | 10 February 1982 | Sunderland | A | 2–0 | 14,317 | O'Callaghan 65', McIlroy 70' | |
| 25 | 13 February 1982 | Everton | A | 0–0 | 20,656 | ||
| 26 | 20 February 1982 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–0 | 10,473 | O'Callaghan 29', Chapman 46' | |
| 27 | 27 February 1982 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–2 | 20,592 | ||
| 28 | 6 March 1982 | Swansea City | A | 0–3 | 11,811 | ||
| 29 | 9 March 1982 | Liverpool | H | 1–5 | 16,758 | McIlroy 56' | |
| 30 | 13 March 1982 | Birmingham City | A | 1–2 | 12,018 | Chapman 79' | |
| 31 | 20 March 1982 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 0–0 | 9,120 | ||
| 32 | 27 March 1982 | Southampton | A | 3–4 | 20,058 | Biley 49', Watson 75', McIlroy 75' | |
| 33 | 10 April 1982 | Sunderland | H | 0–1 | 11,399 | ||
| 34 | 13 April 1982 | Liverpool | A | 0–2 | 30,419 | ||
| 35 | 17 April 1982 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–2 | 20,309 | ||
| 36 | 24 April 1982 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–1 | 13,797 | Maguire 35' (pen), Chapman 47' | |
| 37 | 26 April 1982 | Notts County | A | 1–3 | 8,686 | Chapman 27' | |
| 38 | 1 May 1982 | Leeds United | A | 0–0 | 17,775 | ||
| 39 | 5 May 1982 | Aston Villa | H | 1–0 | 10,363 | Bracewell 17' | |
| 40 | 8 May 1982 | Notts County | H | 2–2 | 11,011 | Watson 25', Maguire 27' | |
| 41 | 15 May 1982 | Manchester United | A | 0–2 | 43,073 | ||
| 42 | 20 May 1982 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 3–0 | 19,698 | Watson 25', Chapman 38', O'Callaghan 73' |
See main article: 1981–82 FA Cup.
See main article: 1981–82 Football League Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 1st Leg | 10 October 1981 | Manchester City | A | 0–2 | 23,146 | ||
| R2 2nd Leg | 28 October 1981 | Manchester City | H | 2–0 (8–9 pens) | 17,373 | Chapman 80', Evans 87' |
| Match | Opponent | Venue | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 1–2 | |
| 3 | Port Vale | A | 6–1 | |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–0 | |
| 5 | Wrexham | A | 3–0 | |
| 6 | Forest Green Rovers | A | 4–0 | |
| 7 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 0–0 | |
| 8 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–0 | |
| 9 | Bideford | A | 4–0 | |
| 10 | Port Vale | H | 3–2 | |
| 11 | Panathinaikos | A | 2–3 | |
| 12 | Tunisia XI | A | 1–1 |
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| GK | Peter Fox | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| GK | Eric McManus | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| DF | Steve Bould | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | |
| DF | Alan Dodd | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |
| DF | Mike Doyle | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| DF | Chris Evans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | Ray Evans | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 1 | |
| DF | Peter Hampton | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| DF | Paul Anthony Johnson | 12(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13(2) | 0 | |
| DF | Steve Kirk | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| DF | Denis Smith | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| DF | Dave Watson | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | |
| DF | David McAughtrie | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| MF | Alan Biley | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
| MF | Paul Bracewell | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 1 | |
| MF | Jeff Cook | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | |
| MF | Robbie Earle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | Peter Griffiths | 27(4) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 28(5) | 3 | |
| MF | Adrian Heath | 17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 5 | |
| MF | Sammy McIlroy | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | |
| MF | Derek Parkin | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| MF | Loek Ursem | 1(2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3(2) | 0 | |
| FW | Lee Chapman | 40(1) | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 43(1) | 17 | |
| FW | Steve Ford | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | |
| FW | John Lumsden | 2(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(3) | 0 | |
| FW | Paul Maguire | 32(3) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34(3) | 7 | |
| FW | Brendan O'Callaghan | 39(2) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42(2) | 5 | |