STOKE CITY

"I grew up in an era when he was a god to those of us who aspired to play the game. He was a true gentleman and we shall never see his like again" - Brian Clough

Stoke City Vs Chelsea 1972 League Cup Final DVD.

After 109 years of trying, success had finally arrived. The 1970's had seen an upturn in fortune for the Potters: Having reached the FA Cup semi final in 1971, the 1972 witnessed the Club's first ever Cup final appearance, and what an afternoon it proved to be.

Defeating Manchester United and West Ham along the way, it was Chelsea in the final and a capacity Wembley crowd waited. The Londoners were the pundits favourites, but Tony Waddington's Stoke had other ideas, and the thousands that had made the journey down the M6 were certainly intent on making it an occasion to savour, as the sound of "we'll be with you" echoed around the famous stadium.

The scene was set, one half of Wembley was painted red and white, and what a thrilling contest it turned out to be. With only five minutes played, a goalmouth scramble caused panic in the Chelsea back-line and Conroy pounced to head past Bonetti. It was the perfect start, which sparked wild celebrations. But as half time approached, Osgood seized on a loose ball to steer home the equaliser, and Chelsea were back in it.

The scoreline remained level for much of the second half, until the cup fairytale came true for George Eastham. With just under twenty minutes remaining, Eastham capitalised on Bonetti's parry to lift the ball past the stranded keeper, and cap a tremendous season for the old campaigner.

How the travelling fans celebrated this historic victory for the Club, and now relive this unforgettable day all over again, as we bring you the extended highlights from the match itself, including all of the post match celebrations and interviews from the Stoke dressing room, and a special bonus interview filmed the day after the final with the goal scoring hero George Eastham.

This is one piece of Stoke City history that no fan should ever be without.

Stoke City Football Newpaper Book

Capture the history and greatest moments of Stoke through the newspapers, as written at the time.

Starting with coverage of Stokes’ 1906 win over Blackburn in the FA Cup, this book charts a glorious history of great games and League and Cup titles through the decades of the 20th century.

Top early stories include, gaining promotion to Division 1 in 1922, after beating Bristol City 3-0, the 6-1 thrashing of Chelsea in 1939 (and again in 1947) and the tragic 1946 FA Cup tie at Bolton where 38 fans sadly died.

Read about the marathon 9hr 22min cup game against Bury in 1955 which Stoke eventually won 3-2.

Read how Stan Matthews signed for Stoke again in 1961, the team’s 100 year celebrations in 1963, and the British cash transfer record in 1974, when Stoke paid £340,000 for England goal keeper Peter Shilton.

Relive the excitement of gaining promotion to Division 1 in 1979, promotion again in the 2002 play offs and much much more.

Newspaper coverage continues right up to the end of last season. A unique and wonderful gift and must have for all Stoke fans.