Since Stoke moved from their old Victoria Ground to, what is now called, the bet365 stadium, Newcastle's record on their travels to Stoke have usually ended on a dull note with only one win on our total of eight trips to the bet365. However that one win, which came exactly a year (31st October) after thrashing Sunderland 5-1, was a fantastic night for Newcastle fans as we moved up to third and continued our unbeaten start to the season going into November.
Despite not having the best recent record as visitors against Stoke, I'm hoping that we can take advantage of the lack of confidence which is milling around the club at the moment. Mark Hughes' job is looking more precarious after each game and considering a lack-lustre first half of the season, a team who are considered to be our rivals against relegation could opt for a change of manager in the near future. Following their humiliation against Chelsea, a defeat on New Year's Day could signal the end of Hughes' spell in Staffordshire.
Facts and Figures
All Competitions
Newcastle wins: 44
Stoke wins: 27
Draws: 21
Top Flight
Newcastle wins: 33
Stoke wins: 23
Draws: 19
Premier League at Stoke
Stoke wins: 5
Newcastle wins: 1
Draws: 1
Previous ten (all competitions)
Newcastle wins: 4 (14 goals)
Stoke wins: 4 (9 goals)
Draws: 2
Biggest wins (in this fixture)
Stoke 0 - 4 Newcastle United (25/10/1995)
A third round thrashing in the League Cup rounded off Newcastle's final visit to the Victoria Ground in October 1995. We were knocked out by Arsenal in the Quarter-Finals later that season. Going deep into the archives, on our tenth visit to the Victoria Ground in March 1906, we grabbed a 2-0 victory in the FA Cup Semi-Final against Woolwich Arsenal, however we would have to wait four more years before our first FA Cup triumph as Everton narrowly beat us in the final.
Biggest defeat (in this fixture)
Stoke 5 - 0 Newcastle United (03/01/1903)
With Monday's match coming so soon after our last match in the frustrating draw against Brighton, it's going to be interesting to see what sort of team we will field and whether tiredness is going to give a team the edge in this encounter. Another potential deciding factor could be confidence, something that I think Newcastle have the edge over Stoke. After two recent dignified defeats against the big clubs of Arsenal and Man City, we appear to have gained confidence which helped us to the away win against West Ham. However as Stoke's run of one win in the last six includes embarrassing drubbings over Tottenham and Chelsea, this is perhaps the best time to take on the Potters.
I would just like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year and wish that 2018 brings you success and the opportunity for your dreams to come true. I am happy to say that I will be looking forward to providing more articles on newcastlefanstv.com and thank you for your readership.