STOKE CITY 2 CITY 0
League Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg
15th January 1964
Attendance 21,019
Scorers Ritchie(43), Asprey(85)
Ref A Holland
City Dowd, Leivers, Sear, Kennedy, Wood, Oakes, Young, Gray, Panter, Aimson, Wagstaffe
Stoke Leslie, Asprey, Allen, Skeels, Kinnell, Clamp, Mcllroy, Dobing, Ritchie, Viollet, Bebbington
Although the Blues were without their best two strikers, Derek Kevan and Jimmy Murray were injured, they did much better than expected. But it was Jimmy Mcllroy, returning to the Stoke team after a bout of pneumonia, who stole the show.
Stoke threatened quickly and in the opening minutes Eddie Clamp pounced on a faulty back-pass from Alan Oakes and despatched a pass to John Ritchie, who was a whisker away from scoring his 10th goal in the competition. And two minutes later Harry Dowd made a point-blank save from a Ritchie header.
David Wagstaffe, frequently getting the better of full back Bill Asprey, tested ’keeper Lawrie Leslie with a powerful drive. But the first half honours belonged to Stoke, even though former Blues schemer Peter Dobing was having a quiet game and Dennis Viollet’s leadership was not so evident.
Richie broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute after Keith Bebbington set him up.
Derek Panter, making his City debut as leader of the attack, forced a good save from Leslie with a first time shot and later the striker put a dangerous overhead kick into the goalmouth which no team; mate took advantage of.
Five minutes from time Stoke increased their lead, Dowd punching out a Bebbington corner, but only as far as Asprey, who smashed the ball home from 30 yards.
FROM AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE CITY PROGRAMME 7TH OCTOBER