Stoke City: Games against United evoke great memories

HERE'S some facts with which to bore any glory-hunting United fan you happen to come across.

1) When Stoke were founder members of the Football League, Manchester United didn't exist, they were merely a bunch of reprobates called Newton Heath.

2) When the teams first met in league action in January 1893, the Potters won 7-1.

3) The following season City hammered United 3-0 in a relegation play-off, leaving 'the Heath' languishing in Division Two.

4) Stoke repeated the relegation blues for the renamed United in 1974, putting the final nail in the coffin with a 1-0 victory in the last game of the season.

5) In 1971/72, the teams met seven times in league and cups and United won just one game, as Stoke knocked them out of both cup competitions in the way to lifting the League Cup.

Ah, the glory days of smashing the world's richest club to smithereens.

Don't listen to any of the guff said United fan might spout – Stoke have not won at Old Trafford in more than 30 years, haven't even scored there since 1980, and our annual budget would probably buy Ronaldo's expensively-manicured big toe.

But there have been plenty of glory nights which have gone Stoke's way in the history of this most passionate of fixtures. Remember Steino's brace at the Vic in 1993, Carl Saunders's winner on Boxing Day 1984, the terraces burning in 1977, Denis Smith's flying header in 1972 and Stan Matthews's bamboozling footwork in 1946?

For the record, a Billy Dickson hat-trick, Jimmie Robertson with two, Alf Edge and Joe Schofield netted the goals 115 years ago in that 7-1 win.

Edge's goal was all the more remarkable in that he had only just re-signed for Stoke from Newton Heath and that game and goal would prove to be the only one of his second spell at Stoke. He signed for Northwich Victoria shortly afterwards.

But the goals that live long in the collective Stokie memory date from an incredible 3-2 victory at the Vic in September 1946. It was a game during which the genius of Stan Matthews reduced United full-back Billy McGlen to a quivering wreck as the City legend scythed through the Victoria Ground mud again and again, leaving the left-back for dead. Stoke raced into a three-goal lead, with Freddie Steele blasting home on the run and rocketing in a header.

George Antonio lashed in the other off the underside of the bar. Matt Busby's league leaders fought back with two late goals, but to no avail. Stoke were off and running on a tumultuous season which would take them so close to league title glory themselves.

In 1952/53, Stoke secured their first, and so far only, double in the league over United. Roy Brown netted twice and Alan Martin the third in a 3-1 win at the Vic. Bill Finney and Brian Siddall grabbed the goals in a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.

The four points picked up against the Red Devils, however, didn't help Stoke avert relegation.

Hostilities were not resumed for a decade. A young John Ritchie and Peter Dobing found the back of the net at Old Trafford, but United hit five to run out 5-2 winners. Stoke fared far better in the return. Midfielder Calvin Palmer, Dennis Viollet (against his old club) and Ritchie, again, scored as City won 3-1. The following season United came out on top in a fourth round FA Cup tie after a replay, but it was the cup ties of 1971/72 which really brought to a head the massive rivalry between the clubs which was to endure throughout the 1970s.

Amidst that titanic, marathon run of matches comes the amazing story of how Denis Smith turned from a man who couldn't walk to a goal-scoring hero in one fell swoop.

Our hero had ricked his back and could barely stand during the afternoon before the evening match. 49,000 flocked to the Vic that night, and Denis was expecting to be among them. But as he got out of his car, after being driven to the ground by his wife, Denis felt something click in his back.

He suddenly was able to straighten up, and after the silver-tongued Tony Waddington had put him through a 'fitness test' which involved asking 'You're all right aren't you Denis?', Smith strode down the tunnel, much to the surprise of his wife, and into Stokie folklore.

Naturally Denis just had to score, netting during a scramble, to equalise a sensational George Best goal. Best beat five men, one of them, Smith, twice, and back-heeled the ball into the net to open the scoring, but Terry Conroy's winner completed Stoke's electrifying comeback.

A similar 2-1 comeback replay victory had already put paid to United in the League Cup that season, this time Peter Dobing and John Ritchie the goalscoring heroes. Mention has to be made, though, of the part Gordon Banks played in both ties. A series of incredible reflex and reaction saves kept United at bay and only the genius of Best defeated England's number one, who sealed his reputation as the world's best.

Mention of the FA Cup brings me to the clash in February 1895 when City emerged with a 3-2 win from a titanic tie at Old Trafford thanks to two goals from Sam Meston, a Scotsman who was nicknamed 'Long Tom' for no apparent reason, and another from Jimmie Robertson.

Stoke would not win again at Old Trafford until a 2-0 victory in Division Two, with both goals from Joe Mawson, on the opening day of the 1932/33 season which would see Stoke win the title and return to the First Division.

City's last victory at the den of the Red Devils came in April 1976 courtesy of Alan Bloor's late header which nicked a 1-0 result.

The following season saw one of the most infamous matches between the two clubs as a youthful Garth Crooks scored twice and had a third controversially disallowed for offside as City came back from 2-0 down to draw 3-3.

It was Stoke's last home game of the season, though, and United fans were delighting in the club's plight as it fought relegation. Things turned a bit nasty and flags were burned and fists flew. City eventually failed to avert the drop and the bitterness simmered for years afterwards.

Of course the most recent cup coming together was that glorious match when Mark Stein rammed home two goals past the disbelieving Peter Schmeichel in front of an ecstatic Boothen End to pull off an unbelievable 2-1 win over the Premiership champions.

Close your eyes, lie back and re-run for yourself as the little wonder cut inside on his right foot as he charged into the box at pace and then rocket the ball high into the net to leave Denmark's finest shiny red nose matching the ire of Alex Ferguson at the final whistle.

Ok, so the tie was two-legged and City succumbed 2-0 in the away tie to go out 3-2 on aggregate, but we were newly-promoted to the second tier after three seasons away and no-one, but no-one gave us even half a chance.

That's the range of emotions which this fixture can produce. Ecstasy and despair have visited us in equal measure throughout its history.

To prove that often little makes sense in this topsy-turvy fixture you only have to revisit the hideous 1984/85 season.

It just makes you wince to even think about it doesn't it? Well one of just three bright spots in that horrendous campaign came on Boxing Day as United visited the Vic. Frank Stapleton gave them a half-time lead, but a penalty from Ian Painter, following Albiston's handball, preceded Carl Saunders crashing home a corner as City turned it around inside five minutes.

Anything could happen come three o'clock this afternoon. Especially in this season's bonkers Premier League.