| 2000–01 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Gunnar Gíslason | |
| Manager | Gudjon Thordarson | |
| Stadium | Britannia Stadium | |
| Football League Second Division | 5th (77 Points) | |
| Play-offs | Semi-final | |
| FA Cup | First Round | |
| League Cup | Fourth Round | |
| League Trophy | Semi final | |
| Top goalscorer | League:Peter Thorne (16) All:Peter Thorne (19) | |
| Highest home attendance | 22,133 vsPort Vale (17 February 2001) | |
| Lowest home attendance | 9,350 vsBrentford (17 January 2001) | |
| Average home league attendance | 13,767 | |
The2000–01 season wasStoke City's 94th season inthe Football League and the seventh in thethird tier.[1]
ManagerGudjon Thordarson again brought in some of his fellow countrymen as Stoke were looking to gain promotion to the First Division. The close season saw Stoke beat higher placed teams in the form ofBirmingham City andLiverpool but a goalless draw withWycombe Wanderers emphasized that pre-season results mean nothing. Stoke's form was steady if not spectacular but two terrible cup exists, defeat toNuneaton Borough in the FA Cup and a shocking 8–0 loss at home to Liverpool in the League Cup threatened to derail Stoke's season. But Stoke responded by going 12 matches unbeaten and for the second season running Stoke entered the lottery of the play-offs.Walsall were the opponents and after a 0–0 draw the "Saddlers" proved to be too strong at theBescot Stadium and won the match 4–2 leaving Stoke facing a fourth season in the third tier.[1]
The Icelandic invasion ofStoke-on-Trent was now in full flow with no less than ten Scandinavian players agreeing to join the club.[1] Amongst them were club record signingBrynjar Gunnarsson, the manager's sonBjarni Guðjónsson, Swedish full-backMikael Hansson and new forwardsStefán Þórðarson andRíkharður Daðason although Daðason took until October before he could complete his move from Norwegian football.[1] Stoke went on a pre-season tour ofIceland and then had two impressive results againstBirmingham City andLiverpool.[1]Tony Dorigo andWayne Thomas both joined the side before the season opener at home toWycombe Wanderers with excitement rife after the good pre-season.[1] But a frustrating 0–0 followed and those it seemed that pre-season results are pretty pointless.[1]
Stoke soon started to get their act together and began to find the back of the net regularly withPeterborough United beaten 3–0 andOxford United 4–0 and a 3–3 draw away atReading.[1] The firstPotteries derby ended 1–1 but in the next match againstRotherham United on-loan strikerMarvin Robinson broke his leg in a nasty collision with the Rotherham goalkeeper.[1] A last minute victory overMillwall was a vital win against a promotion rival and with the arrival of Dadason it seemed that Stoke could continue their push for an automatic position but two truly awful defeats in the FA and League Cup saw the feeling around the club drop and after a 3–1 defeat at home to bottom of the tableLuton Town there was a major danger that those results could affect their league form.[1] But City to their credit got their act together and went on a 13 match unbeaten run cementing their place in the play-offs.[1]
But Stoke not making life easy for themselves lost to several lowly placed sides increasing the risk of being caught but three wins at the end of the season saw Stoke finish in 5th position with 77 points and they come up against an impressiveWalsall side. The first leg at the Britannia was a tense affair which sawBen Petty 'sacrifice' himself to prevent a goal for Walsall and the match ended 0–0.[1] The second leg started well enough for Stoke withGraham Kavanagh putting City into the lead but a goalkeeping howler fromGavin Ward gifted the "Saddlers" an equaliser. In a mad 15 minute spell in the second half Walsall scored three without reply and despitePeter Thorne scoring it was too little to late and Stoke would have to try again to gain that promotion out of the third tier.[1]
Stoke were on the receiving end of a cup shock as after a 0–0 draw at home with non-leagueNuneaton Borough, the replay was a stereotypical cup upset waiting to happen with heavy rain a muddy pitch and a hostile home crowd. And it all proved too scripted for Stoke as in the last minute Marc McGregor secured a famous win for Nuneaton.[1]
Stoke had a decent run to the fourth round after beatingYork City 5–1, Premier LeagueCharlton Athletic on away goals after a thrilling 5–5 aggregate score and a 3–2 overBarnsley saw Stoke earn a glamour tie againstLiverpool. But it quickly turned into a nightmare for Stoke as Liverpool ran riot scoring with every shot they took and ended up with an 8–0 victory, Stoke's worst home defeat.[1]
As holders Stoke were looking to retain theFootball League Trophy and they made it to the northern section semi final against local rivalsPort Vale after beatingScarborough (3–1),Halifax Town (3–2) andWalsall (4–0). The tie was originally scheduled to be played atVale Park but with several failed attempts to play the match due to a waterlogged pitch the match was moved to theBritannia Stadium. Vale won a dour match 2–1 after extra time and they went on to lift the trophy.[1]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Reading | 46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 86 | 52 | +34 | 86 | Qualification for theSecond Division play-offs |
| 4 | Walsall(O, P) | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 79 | 50 | +29 | 81 | |
| 5 | Stoke City | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 74 | 49 | +25 | 77 | |
| 6 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 53 | 42 | +11 | 75 | |
| 7 | Bournemouth | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 79 | 55 | +24 | 73 |
Stoke's score comes first
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 July 2000 | ÍA Akranes | A | 1–1 | Lightbourne | |
| 2 | 16 July 2000 | KA Akureyri | A | 1–1 | Þórðarson | |
| 3 | 17 July 2000 | Víkingur | A | 2–2 | O'Connor,Guðjónsson | |
| 4 | 22 July 2000 | Liverpool | H | 1–0 | 16,101 | Þórðarson 29' |
| 5 | 24 July 2000 | Darlington | N | 3–1 | Heath,Lightbourne,Guðjónsson | |
| 6 | 26 July 2000 | Bury | N | 1–2 | O'Connor | |
| 7 | 28 July 2000 | Isle of Man | A | 5–1 | 213 | Þórðarson,Thomas,Gunnarsson,Lightbourne (2) |
| 8 | 1 August 2000 | Birmingham City | H | 2–1 | 5,148 | Þórðarson 20',Connor 89' |
| 9 | 4 August 2000 | Newcastle Town | A | 3–0 | 2,153 | Connor,Lightbourne, Georges Rossi |
| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 August 2000 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 0–0 | 14,532 | Report | |
| 2 | 19 August 2000 | Bristol City | A | 2–1 | 12,590 | Guðjónsson 76',O'Connor 87' | Report |
| 3 | 26 August 2000 | Notts County | H | 0–1 | 13,041 | Report | |
| 4 | 29 August 2000 | Reading | A | 3–3 | 10,668 | Hunter (o.g.) 17',Þórðarson 22',Fenton 75' | Report |
| 5 | 9 September 2000 | Peterborough United | H | 3–0 | 13,011 | Lightbourne 53',Þórðarson 87',Kavanagh 90' | Report |
| 6 | 13 September 2000 | Oxford United | H | 4–0 | 9,600 | Þórðarson 22',Guðjónsson 32',O'Connor 45',Robinson 71' | Report |
| 7 | 13 September 2000 | Port Vale | A | 1–1 | 8,948 | Lightbourne 15' | Report |
| 8 | 23 September 2000 | Rotherham United | H | 1–1 | 13,472 | Thorne 81' | Report |
| 9 | 30 September 2000 | Colchester United | A | 1–0 | 3,758 | Thorne 14' | Report |
| 10 | 14 October 2000 | Swansea City | A | 1–2 | 6,498 | Lightbourne 88' | Report |
| 11 | 17 October 2000 | Cambridge United | A | 1–1 | 4,433 | Thorne 41' | Report |
| 12 | 21 October 2000 | Millwall | H | 3–2 | 13,752 | Thorne (2) 8', 13',Iwelumo 90' | Report |
| 13 | 24 October 2000 | Walsall | A | 0–3 | 6,996 | Report | |
| 14 | 28 October 2000 | Bournemouth | H | 2–1 | 11,572 | Guðjónsson 9',O'Connor 13' | Report |
| 15 | 4 November 2000 | Wrexham | A | 2–1 | 6,447 | Thorne 16',Þórðarson 27' (pen) | Report |
| 16 | 7 November 2000 | Northampton Town | A | 2–2 | 5,475 | Kavanagh 10',O'Connor 24' | Report |
| 17 | 11 November 2000 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0–1 | 12,503 | Report | |
| 18 | 25 November 2000 | Swindon Town | A | 3–0 | 4,904 | Dryden 8' (o.g.),Lightbourne (2) 11', 78' | Report |
| 19 | 2 December 2000 | Luton Town | H | 1–3 | 12,389 | Mohan 35' | Report |
| 20 | 16 December 2000 | Bristol Rovers | A | 3–0 | 6,338 | Thorne (3) 3', 19', 40' | Report |
| 21 | 23 December 2000 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–1 | 8,957 | O'Connor 65' | Report |
| 22 | 26 December 2000 | Bury | H | 2–1 | 16,499 | Daðason 39',Gunnarsson 84' | Report |
| 23 | 30 December 2000 | Bristol City | H | 1–0 | 14,629 | Guðjónsson 81' | Report |
| 24 | 1 January 2001 | Notts County | A | 2–2 | 9,125 | Guðjónsson 1',Cooke 80' | Report |
| 25 | 13 January 2001 | Reading | H | 0–0 | 14,154 | Report | |
| 26 | 17 January 2001 | Brentford | H | 1–0 | 9,350 | Daðason 22' | Report |
| 27 | 27 January 2001 | Wigan Athletic | H | 2–0 | 16,859 | Cooke 18',Thorne 60' | Report |
| 28 | 3 February 2001 | Northampton Town | H | 1–1 | 13,235 | Cooke 59' | Report |
| 29 | 10 February 2001 | Peterborough United | A | 4–0 | 7,568 | Thorne 2',Guðjónsson 45',Daðason 72',O'Connor 89' | Report |
| 30 | 17 February 2001 | Port Vale | H | 1–1 | 22,133 | O'Connor 55' | Report |
| 31 | 20 February 2001 | Oxford United | A | 1–1 | 4,856 | Cooke 69' | Report |
| 32 | 24 February 2001 | Rotherham United | A | 1–2 | 8,211 | Thorne 53' | Report |
| 33 | 3 March 2001 | Colchester United | H | 3–1 | 11,714 | Thorne (2) 9', 40',Kavanagh 88' | Report |
| 34 | 7 March 2001 | Swansea City | H | 1–2 | 10,091 | O'Connor 81' | Report |
| 35 | 10 March 2001 | Brentford | A | 2–2 | 5,518 | Cooke 17',Daðason 90' | Report |
| 36 | 13 March 2001 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 1–0 | 5,385 | Kavanagh 11' (pen) | Report |
| 37 | 17 March 2001 | Cambridge United | H | 2–3 | 11,939 | Kavanagh 56', (pen),O'Connor 57' | Report |
| 38 | 27 March 2001 | Bury | A | 0–1 | 4,224 | Report | |
| 39 | 31 March 2001 | Bristol Rovers | H | 4–1 | 12,274 | Hansson (2) 4', 15',Thorne (2) 71', 86' | Report |
| 40 | 3 April 2001 | Millwall | A | 0–2 | 11,639 | Report | |
| 41 | 7 April 2001 | Luton Town | A | 2–1 | 6,456 | Taylor (o.g.) 30',Kavanagh 40' | Report |
| 42 | 14 April 2001 | Walsall | H | 0–0 | 16,603 | Report | |
| 43 | 17 April 2001 | Bournemouth | A | 0–1 | 5,373 | Report | |
| 44 | 21 April 2001 | Wrexham | H | 3–1 | 12,687 | Hardy (o.g) 6',Gunnarsson (2) 44', 56' | Report |
| 45 | 28 April 2001 | Oldham Athletic | A | 2–1 | 9,359 | Gunnarsson 73',Daðason 84' | Report |
| 46 | 5 May 2001 | Swindon Town | H | 4–1 | 20,591 | O'Halloran 1' (o.g.),Gunnarsson 12',Cooke 32',Kavanagh 45' (pen) | Report |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final 1st Leg | 13 May 2001 | Walsall | H | 0–0 | 21,482 | Report | |
| Semi-final 2nd Leg | 16 May 2001 | Walsall | A | 2–4 | 8,346 | Kavanagh 31',Thorne 87' | Report |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 18 November 2000 | Nuneaton Borough | H | 0–0 | 8,437 | Report | |
| R1 Replay | 21 November 2000 | Nuneaton Borough | A | 0–1 | 4,477 | Report |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 1st Leg | 22 August 2000 | York City | A | 5–1 | 2,035 | Heath 10',Connor (2) 47', 59',Iwelumo 70',O'Connor 80' | Report |
| R1 2nd Leg | 6 September 2000 | York City | H | 0–0 | 3,478 | Report | |
| R2 1st Leg | 20 September 2000 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–1 | 9,388 | Þórðarson 45' (pen),Goodfellow 86' | Report |
| R2 2nd Leg | 26 September 2000 | Charlton Athletic | A | 3–4 (aet) | 10,037 | O'Connor 36',Gunnarsson 87',Þórðarson 107' | Report |
| R3 | 1 November 2000 | Barnsley | H | 3–2 | 10,480 | Guðjónsson (2) 8', 56',Daðason 90' | Report |
| R4 | 29 November 2000 | Liverpool | H | 0–8 | 27,109 | Report |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 6 December 2000 | Scarborough | H | 3–1 | 2,336 | Thorne (2) 21', 57',Cooke 25' | Report |
| R2 | 9 January 2001 | Halifax Town | A | 3–2 | 1,917 | Daðason 31',Guðjónsson (2) 35', 90' | Report |
| QF | 7 February 2001 | Walsall | H | 4–0 | 5,624 | Clarke 3',Goodfellow 59',Petty 67',Þórðarson 81' (pen) | Report |
| SF | 5 March 2001 | Port Vale | H | 1–2 (aet) | 11,323 | Mohan 87' | Report |
| No. | Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | League Trophy | Play-offs | Total | Discipline | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |  |  | |||
| 1 | GK |  Gavin Ward | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF |  Mikael Hansson | 36(2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44(3) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF |  Clive Clarke | 12(9) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 5(1) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 23(11) | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | MF |  Henrik Risom | 9(16) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2(2) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16(18) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Nicky Mohan | 37 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| 6 | MF |  Brynjar Gunnarsson | 46 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 56(1) | 6 | 11 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | Bjarni Guðjónsson | 41(1) | 6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2(1) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 52(2) | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Graham Kavanagh | 42(1) | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 52(2) | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Peter Thorne | 35(3) | 16 | 2 | 0 | 3(1) | 0 | 2(1) | 2 | 1(1) | 1 | 43(6) | 19 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Ríkharður Daðason | 13(14) | 6 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 1 | 2(1) | 1 | 1(1) | 0 | 16(18) | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FW |  Kyle Lightbourne | 11(11) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14(12) | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 14 | GK | Carl Muggleton | 11(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Tony Dorigo | 34(2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | FW | Paul Connor | 1(6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(7) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | James O'Connor | 44 | 8 | 0(1) | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 53(1) | 10 | 14 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | Ben Petty | 10(12) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3(1) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | 19(14) | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 19 | FW | Stefán Þórðarson | 15(15) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4(2) | 2 | 3(1) | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | 24(19) | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | Kristján Örn Sigurðsson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | Robert Heath | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | FW |  Chris Iwelumo | 0(2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(4) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | Wayne Thomas | 33(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3(1) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43(2) | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| 24 | DF | Matthew Bullock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Ashley Wooliscroft | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | FW | Steven Taaffe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF |  Frode Kippe | 15(4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20(4) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Lewis Neal | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | FW | Marc Goodfellow | 0(7) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(2) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2(10) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | Graham Fenton | 2(3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4(3) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | Marvin Robinson | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 33 | GK | Hjörvar Hafliðason | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | FW | Andy Cooke | 21(1) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(1) | 1 | 1(1) | 0 | 24(3) | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| 35 | DF | Lee Collins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | GK | Birkir Kristinsson | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | Karl Henry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| – | – | Own goals | – | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | – |
