Editing Stanley Matthews (section)

===Stoke City===
[[File:Wills card matthews.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Matthews on a football card in 1939]]

[[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]], [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]], [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] and [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]] were all rumoured to be interested in Matthews in the wake of his appearance for [[English Schools' Football Association|England Schoolboys]].<ref name=page24/> The Stoke City [[Manager (association football)|manager]] [[Tom Mather]] persuaded Matthews' father to allow Stanley to join his club's staff as an office boy on his 15th birthday for pay of [[Pound sterling|£]]1-a-week.<ref name=page24>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=24}}</ref> Matthews played for Stoke's [[reserve team]] during the [[1930–31 Stoke City F.C. season|1930–31]] season, coming up first against [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]]. After the game, his father gave his usual realist assessment: "I've seen you play better and I've seen you play worse".<ref name="page 31">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=31}}</ref>

Matthews played 22 reserve games in [[1931–32 Stoke City F.C. season|1931–32]], shunning the social scene to focus on improving his game.<ref name="page 31"/> In one of these games, against [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]], he attempted to run at the left-back and take him on with a deft swerve as the defender committed himself to a challenge, rather than follow the accepted wisdom of the day which was first to wait for the defender to run at the attacker – his new technique "worked a treat".<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=32}}</ref> The national press were already predicting a bright future for the teenager, and though he could have then joined any club in the country, he signed as a professional with Stoke on his 17th birthday.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=33}}</ref> Paid the [[maximum wage]] of £5-a-week (£3 in the summer break), he was on the same wage as seasoned professionals before he even kicked a ball. Despite this, his father insisted that Matthews save this money and only spend any winning bonus money he earned.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=39}}</ref> He made his first-team debut against [[Bury F.C.|Bury]] at [[Gigg Lane]] on 19 March 1932; the "Potters" won the game 1–0 and Matthews learned how physical and dirty opponents could be – and get away with it.<ref name="page 44"/>

After spending the [[1932–33 Stoke City F.C. season|1932–33]] pre-season training intensely by himself (as opposed to playing golf with his teammates), Mather selected Matthews in 15 games, enough to earn him in a winners medal after Stoke were crowned [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] champions, one point ahead of [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]].<ref name="page 44">{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=42}}</ref> On 4 March 1933 he scored his first senior goal in a 3–1 win over [[Potteries derby|local rivals]] Port Vale at [[The Old Recreation Ground]].<ref name="page 44"/>

He played 29 [[Football League First Division|First Division]] games in [[1933–34 Stoke City F.C. season|1933–34]], as Stoke secured their top-flight status with a 12th-place finish.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=46}}</ref> Matthews added a [[Staffordshire Senior Cup]] winners' medal in 1934.<ref name = "Rochester">{{cite web | url=http://www.rocesterfc.net/Staffs%20Senior%20Cup/History%20%26%20Stats.htm | title=THE STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY F.A. SENIOR CHALLENGE CUP | publisher=Rochester FC | access-date=11 July 2021 | archive-date=19 November 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163448/http://www.rocesterfc.net/Staffs%20Senior%20Cup/History%20%26%20Stats.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> He continued to progress in the [[1934–35 Stoke City F.C. season|1934–35]] campaign and was selected by [[The Football League]] for an Inter-League game with [[Irish League representative team|the Irish League]] at [[The Oval (Belfast)|The Oval]], which finished 6–1 to the English.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=52}}</ref> His England debut followed, and so did a further game for the Football League against the Scottish League.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=64}}</ref> Stoke finished the season in 10th place.

In [[1935–36 Stoke City F.C. season|1935–36]] Matthews continued to improve, adding the double body swerve technique to his increasing arsenal of tricks.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=72}}</ref> Largely out of the international picture, he put in 45 games for the "Potters" as Stoke finished fourth under [[Bob McGrory]] – the club's best finish. He played 42 games in [[1936–37 Stoke City F.C. season|1936–37]], including the [[List of Stoke City F.C. records and statistics|club's record]] 10–3 win over West Brom at the [[Victoria Ground]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=88}}</ref> At the end of the season, he was paid a loyalty bonus of £650, though the Stoke board initially insisted he was only due £500 as he had spent his first two years at the club as an amateur – this attitude left a sour taste in Matthews' mouth.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=99}}</ref>

Stoke slipped down the league in an extremely tight [[1937–38 Stoke City F.C. season|1937–38]] season, and, annoyed by rumours circulating the city of resentment in the dressing room against him for his England success, Matthews requested a [[Transfer (association football)|transfer]] in February; his request was denied.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=108}}</ref> His request became public knowledge, and, disturbed by the attention and harassment he was receiving from Stoke supporters urging him to stay, Matthews decided to take a few days off from the club to relax in [[Blackpool]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=109}}</ref> Finding no peace there either, Stoke chairman Albert Booth told Matthews he would not be allowed to leave the club, and 3,000 City supporters organised a meeting to make their feelings known – they too demanded that he stay.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=112}}</ref> Touched by their strength of feeling and worn out by the attention he was receiving, Matthews agreed to stay.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=113}}</ref> Despite playing regularly for the national side, Matthews put in 38 games for Stoke in [[1938–39 Stoke City F.C. season|1938–39]], helping them to a seventh-place finish – there would not be another full season of Football League action until 1946.