1920–21 Stoke F.C. season
Stoke City 1920–21 season
Stoke, chaired by Mr E. Reynish and managed by Arthur Shallcross, played at the Victoria Ground. It was their 21st season in the Football League and their third in the Second Division. They finished 20th in the league with 35 points and were knocked out in the First Round of the FA Cup.
Top scorer Arthur Watkin had 15 league goals (16 in all competitions). Billy Tempest scored 10 league goals.
Highest home attendance: 27,455 for the match against Port Vale on 2 October 1920. Lowest home attendance: 5,000 against Barnsley on 2 March 1921. Average home league attendance was 13,315.
Season highlights: Stoke strengthened with veteran Tom Brittleton from Sheffield Wednesday, who became club captain. In October, Charlie Parker left for Sunderland after six years with the club. The team struggled to score and hovered near the relegation zone. Only one club was relegated that season to the new Third Division North, and Stoke finished five points ahead of bottom Stockport County, a margin that felt too close for comfort.
A notable signing was Bob McGrory, a full-back from Burnley, in April 1921. He would go on to spend 31 years with Stoke as a player and manager, staying with the club until 1952.
In the FA Cup, Stoke were eliminated in the first round, losing 3–2 away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, who finished as runners-up, in front of about 35,000 spectators.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:59 (CET).