1911–12 Stoke F.C. season
The 1911–12 season was Stoke's third season in the Southern Football League.
Stoke now having left the Birmingham & District League to concentrate on the Southern League Division One, which at the time was only second to the Football League. Stoke neither struggled or impressed and they finished in 10th position with 36 points.
Season review
League
After leaving the Birmingham & District League Stoke concentrated on the Southern League Division One which was now a much more tougher league. The squad was strengthened by Alfred Barker who brought in a new half back line with the arrival of Jimmy McGillvray, Jock Grieve and George Smart. Stoke made a useful start to the season and held a position in the top half of the table, but four defeats either side of Christmas saw them plunge into the bottom five and prospects for the new year did not look too promising. Yet, things did manage to improve on the pitch. Goalkeeper Richard Herron and right-half Sam Baddeley were restored to the first team and forwards John Lenaghan and Tom Revill joined to add some much needed punch up front. Stoke sold both Arthur Cartlidge and Jock Grieve to South Shields for a decent price while Jack Peart joined Newcastle United for £600. Stoke ended the season with a 7–0 victory over Millwall Athletic.Stoke had some good crowds at home in 1911–12 with 18,000 present to see the opening match against Brighton & Hove Albion. However Stoke fans developed a reputation following a near riot in December 1911 home defeat to Queens Park Rangers. The referee had no choice but to abandon the match with just two minutes remaining, although the league ordered the result to stand. Stoke had to pay £4,000 for the installation of fences around the ground which came as a bitter blow to the club's finances following the debacle in 1908.
FA Cup
Stoke made an early exit to Walsall in the fifth qualifying round losing 2–1 at Fellows Park.Final league table
Key: P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = PointsResults
Stoke's score comes firstLegend
Southern Football League Division One
| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 1 | 2 September 1911 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 2–1 | 18,000 | W Smith, A Smith |
| 2 | 9 September 1911 | Luton Town | A | 1–1 | 8,000 | W Smith |
| 3 | 16 September 1911 | Coventry City | A | 2–3 | 9,000 | Peart, Grieve |
| 4 | 23 September 1911 | Leyton | H | 0–0 | 10,000 | |
| 5 | 30 September 1911 | Norwich City | A | 1–2 | 2,500 | Jordan |
| 6 | 7 October 1911 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–1 | 17,000 | Peart, Griffiths |
| 7 | 14 October 1911 | Southampton | A | 0–1 | 8,000 | |
| 8 | 21 October 1911 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 2–1 | 8,000 | Griffiths, Dyke |
| 9 | 28 October 1911 | Reading | A | 1–1 | 7,000 | W Smith |
| 10 | 4 November 1911 | Watford | H | 1–0 | 12,000 | A Smith |
| 11 | 6 November 1911 | Exeter City | H | 1–3 | 7,000 | Peart |
| 12 | 11 November 1911 | New Brompton | A | 1–1 | 4,000 | Peart |
| 13 | 25 November 1911 | Brentford | A | 1–0 | 5,000 | Peart |
| 14 | 2 December 1911 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 0–2 | 13,000 | |
| 15 | 9 December 1911 | Millwall Athletic | A | 1–5 | 4,000 | Hardman |
| 16 | 16 December 1911 | West Ham United | H | 4–3 | 10,000 | Hardman, Lenaghan |
| 17 | 25 December 1911 | Swindon Town | A | 0–3 | 18,000 | |
| 18 | 26 December 1911 | Swindon Town | H | 1–4 | 10,000 | Leese |
| 19 | 30 December 1911 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–4 | 3,000 | |
| 20 | 20 January 1912 | Coventry City | H | 3–1 | 4,000 | Baddeley, Jordan, Lenaghan |
| 21 | 27 January 1912 | Leyton | A | 0–2 | 3,000 | |
| 22 | 3 February 1912 | Norwich City | H | 1–1 | 5,000 | Peart |
| 23 | 10 February 1912 | Crystal Palace | A | 2–1 | 8,000 | Peart, Hardman |
| 24 | 17 February 1912 | Southampton | H | 0–3 | 10,000 | |
| 25 | 24 February 1912 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–3 | 7,000 | |
| 26 | 28 February 1912 | Bristol Rovers | A | 2–2 | 2,000 | W Smith |
| 27 | 2 March 1912 | Reading | H | 0–0 | 10,000 | |
| 28 | 9 March 1912 | Watford | A | 2–4 | 3,000 | W Smith |
| 29 | 16 March 1912 | New Brompton | H | 2–0 | 4,000 | Baddeley, Jones |
| 30 | 18 March 1912 | Luton Town | H | 4–3 | 5,000 | Jones, W Smith, Lenaghan, Revill |
| 31 | 23 March 1912 | Exeter City | A | 1–1 | 3,000 | Revill |
| 32 | 30 March 1912 | Brentford | H | 1–1 | 5,000 | W Smith |
| 33 | 6 April 1912 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–1 | 30,000 | |
| 34 | 8 April 1912 | Northampton Town | H | 1–0 | 7,000 | Revill |
| 35 | 9 April 1912 | Northampton Town | A | 1–3 | 3,000 | Hodkin |
| 36 | 13 April 1912 | Millwall Athletic | H | 7–0 | 7,000 | Lenaghan, A Smith, Revill |
| 37 | 20 April 1912 | West Ham United | A | 0–0 | 6,000 | |
| 38 | 27 April 1912 | Bristol Rovers | H | 3–1 | 5,000 | Revill, Turner, Dyke |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 5QR | 18 November 1911 | Walsall | A | 1–2 | 6,569 | W Smith |