IF the FA Cup offered Stoke occasional cheer during the previous ten years it brought nothing but disappointment in the second decade of the century. True, the five years taken out for the First World War meant there were only six competitions, but Stoke never got beyond the first round and on two occasions failed to make it through the qualifying stages. The highlight was a first round draw with Newcastle United before an 18,080 crowd at the Victoria Ground in January 1910 before defeat 2-1 in the replay at St James Park. Stoke were not to go past the first round for another 11 years, but the League was a different matter. After seven seasons cooling their heels in the Birmingham and Southern Leagues the club successfully applied for election back to the Football League in 1915. Unfortunately, soccer was then suspended for the duration of the rest of the war and it was not until August 1919 that league football returned to the Victoria Ground.

 

In the interim Stoke played wartime football in the Lancashire Primary and Secondary competitions, which they won in 1918 and finished runners-up behind Everton in 1919. Centre-forward Bob Whittingham, who guested for the club during this period, scored 86 goals in four years, though his official tally was just 8 goals in 18 games when peacetime soccer resumed. It did so amid great anticipation and expectation. The feeling remained that, despite their financial troubles, Stoke should never have been allowed to relinquish their League place and it was where they truly belonged. Seven players sadly perished during the Great War - Dick Herron, Henry Hargreaves, George Limer, Stan Ripley, Walter Nixon, Jack Shorthouse and Tom Kinson - but participation in wartime football had swelled club coffers to the point where new faces could be brought in and economic restraint was no longer the overriding factor. Against this optimistic background Second Division fixtures were resumed for the first time since 1908. Barnsley were beaten 2-0 at the Victoria Ground on the opening day of the 1919-20 season and Stoke won 11 of their first 15 fixtures, lost the next five in the run-up to Christmas, thrashed Coventry 6-1 at home on Boxing Day, and eventually finished a topsy-turvy campaign in mid-table. Nevertheless, the standard of play was good enough at times to suggest a promotion campaign could be mounted next time around.