Pete Smith’s Stoke City notebook is open with a statto’s dream, Nello mixing it with Jack Grealish and Tim Peake talking about taking Stoke into space
Hold onto your hats for the narrative sure to grip the football purists this season: who will become the first club in English football history to break the 400 barrier for 0-0 draws?
A big thanks, we think, to Lars Bjering Husum and the encyclopaedic English Football Record page he runs on Facebook, detailing all manner of statistics since the Football League kicked off in this week in 1888 – and Stoke, whisper it, conceded the first ever goal.
Amid the lack of club football at the weekend, Lars produced a catalogue of 113 different scorelines which have been recorded over the last 136 years and which clubs have achieved each one the most. Burnley, for example, have won 1-0 more times than anyone else (442) while the 2-0 record is taken by Liverpool (382 times).
Leading the way for 0-0s is Preston North End with 397 but this caught our attention at Statto Central because the last time Lars did this list, it was Stoke who were sitting pretty at the top. It turns out that Preston have leapfrogged the Potters, who are still back on 394 because Steven Schumacher must insist on scoring goals. They haven’t played out a goalless draw since January 1.
So the race is on and it is fitting that there will be no prizes for the winner. While we’re here, we should point out that West Bromwich Albion hold the joint record for most 10-3 defeats (one).
Stoke in space
One of the more surreal moments of Stoke’s mostly brilliant decade in the Premier League came on Christmas Day 2015. Stoke had just beaten Manchester City 2-0, were about to beat Manchester United by the same scoreline on Boxing Day and win 4-3 at Everton to end the year. And Tim Peake unfurled a Stoke flag in space.
Mr Peake, the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station, was accompanied into orbit by an unexpected item in his luggage. Stoke-mad Andy Rushton had bombarded him on Twitter with drawings of cartoon characters and plasticine models with the purpose of passing on a rather unique idea.
“I thought they were brilliant. I was enjoying them and at some point I thought: ‘Well Andy is not going to stop until I reach out to him,’” Mr Peake told Radio Stoke. “I got in touch and said if he could get me a flag that’s not flammable and that weighs less than 150g or something… then I’ll see if Nasa will fly it up to the space station.
“It’s a big deal. There’s a lot that goes into flying something to space. It’s not just shove it in your suitcase and off you go. I just think it’s brilliant. It’s that juxtaposition of being up in space, in a spacecraft, and the enormity of the universe but then there’s something very human… something that we all relate to – football and a Stoke City flag, there in space.”
Tim Peake is at the Regent Theatre in Hanley on Wednesday, September 11 with his new show Astronauts – The Quest to Explore.
Roll up, roll up for a full collection of Oatcakes
A big box of Oatcake fanzines is available to a good home. Stoke supporter Chris Thornton has all 653 issues published between 1988 and 2019 and all in very good condition. Anyone interested can send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll put you in touch.
Nello and his marvellous friend
Well done to Nello’s new very good friend Jack Grealish for getting on the scoresheet for England at the weekend.
Neil Baldwin, Stoke’s old kitman, former circus clown and inspiration behind the Bafta-winning Marvellous, managed to get a photo with the Manchester City forward while he was out walking his dog. Or, as various replies pointed out when the picture was posted on social media, Grealish managed to get a photo with Nello.
New retro range flying off the shelves
A new limited range of Matchwinner-produced Stoke retro kits have been selling fast since they were launched last Thursday.
A cagoule in the style once worn by Nello’s old boss Lou Macari and a new version of the 1991/92 home shirt have already sold out and stock is going down fast for the away top too.
Good win for Stoke City Women
Tamara Willock struck twice to earn a 2-1 win for Stoke City Women against National League North early pacesetters Rugby Borough.
It was a full debut for Willock and her goals mean that Marie Hourihan’s team have now won three away games on the spin.
Anniversaries this week
September 9, 1995 – 3-0 defeat to Watford: Ronnie Sinclair (final league appearance)
September 10, 1985 – 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough: Mark Chamberlain (final league appearance)
September 10, 1996 – 3-0 defeat to Barnsley: Ian Cranson (final league appearance)
September 10, 2011 – 1-0 win over Liverpool: Peter Crouch, Matt Upson, Wilson Palacios (first league appearances)
September 11 – birthdays: Leon Cort (45), Bill Asprey (born on this day, 1936)
September 12 – birthdays: Barry Siddall (70), Peter Hampton (born on this day, 1954), Leigh Palin (59), Giannelli Imbula (32)
September 12 – 1-1 draw with Birmingham: Keith Scott (final league appearance)
September 13 – birthdays: Carl Muggleton (56), Carlo Nash (51), Keith Andrews (44)
September 13, 2005 – 1-0 win over Hull: Ed de Goey (final league appearance)
September 13, 2010 – 2-1 win over Aston Villa: Tony Pulis appeared at half-time on day of his mum’s death; Jermaine Pennant, Marc Wilson (first league appearances)
September 14 – birthdays: Eddie Clamp (born on this day, 1934), David Rowson (48), Jason Jarrett (45)
September 14, 1946 – 3-2 win over Derby: Arthur Jepson, John McCue (first league appearances)
September 14, 1993 – 2-1 win over Middlesbrough: Ian Clarkson, Graham Harbey (first league appearances)
September 15 – birthday: Eidur Gudjohnsen (46)
September 15, 2012 – 1-1 draw with Man City: Steven Nzonzi, Michael Owen (first league appearances)
