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  1. A football post and net

  2. A man in glasses, wearing a suit jacket over an open necked shirt stands next to a display of blue and white decorated pottery. A sign above the pottery says celebrating 250 years of Spode

  3. A woman with curly bobbed hair points one finger on each hand towards herself. She is wearing a shirt and tie and is smiling at the camera

  4. A man with very short grey hair is wearing a dark blue suit jacket with a dark blue patterned tie, and white shirt with light blue squares on it. He stands in front of a whiteboard and a map of Staffordshire

  5. A girl wearing red is looking away from the camera. Someone else at the top of the photo is wearing a red Christmas jumper.

  6. Pick of the stats: Stoke City v Charlton Athletic

    Stoke City and Charlton Athletic club badges

    This is a first league meeting between and Stoke and Charlton for five years and Addicks' boss Nathan Jones will hope it goes better than his last encounter against another of his former clubs.

    Charlton's 5-1 drubbing at home by Southampton on Saturday leaves them looking to avoid three successive league defeats.

    A victory for Stoke and defeat for Middlesbrough against leaders Coventry would move the Potters into second place in the Championship.

    • The home side has won each of the past four league meetings between Stoke and Charlton, with this the first since a 3-1 victory for the Potters in February 2020.

    • Charlton have won just one of their past 13 away league games against Stoke (D2 L10), with that coming in their first ever visit to the bet365 Stadium in February 1998 (2-1).

    • Stoke lost 1-0 in their last home league game against Coventry, last losing consecutive home matches in September 2024.

    • Charlton's first six away league games this season followed a pattern of draw, loss, victory, draw, loss, victory. Their seventh game was a draw at Hull and then they lost at Wrexham in their eighth.

    • Since winning their first meeting in October 2017 with Coventry (3-0 vs Luton), Stoke boss Mark Robins is winless in his past seven against Charlton's Nathan Jones (D3 L4), most recently a 2-2 draw in September 2022.

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  7. Stoke Under-21s boss Hibbert joins Wycombe

    A photo of Dave Hibbert playing for Shrewsbury Town in 2010Getty Images

    Stoke City Under-21s head coach Dave Hibbert has left the side to join Wycombe Wanderers as their first-team set-piece coach.

    The 39-year-old took charge of the Potters Premier League 2 team in January and departs after 12 years of service within Stoke's academy.

    Former Potters winger Liam Lawrence will take charge of the vacant head coach role in the interim.

    "Dave has made a significant contribution to the development of hundreds of academy players, on and off the pitch, in more than a decade of service to Stoke City," Stoke academy manager Sam Stockley said.

    "Dave has our gratitude for his dedication to his various roles at the club and our sincere best wishes for his future career."

  8. A huge pile of silver scrap metal, with a metal crane claw coming down towards it, to grab it.

  9. A woman in a black coat and white hat with a girl in a black coat and black hat and a girl in a wheelchair in a pink coat

  10. A red hatchback car is parked by the side of a road. The rear number plate has been blanked out.

  11. Toby Jones, in a grey suit pink shirt and blue tie, stood next to his dad. Freddie Jones is wearing a black suit, blue shirt and pink bow tie.

  12. 'Robins brings stability to a club that was going nowhere'

    Stoke City Your Opinions banner
    Stoke City boss Mark Robins speaking with Million ManhoefGetty Images

    We asked you if you were pleased to see Stoke City boss Mark Robins handed a new three-and-a-half year deal.

    Here is what you had to say:

    Joe: Absolute lifesaver for the club. He's the first manager that knows what he's doing since we came down from the Premier League. Happy to keep Robins.

    David: Locking up Robins is the smartest personnel move Stoke have made since bringing him on in the first place. We'll be a competitive team as long as he's the man in charge. It's a long time since we've had that kind of stability, or a season to look forward to like this one.

    Lev: Absolutely superb! People at the top realise what a difference he has made, instilling an optimistic pleasure now being felt by the fans.

    Dave: It's a smart move by the club, and a loyal statement from the manager. The early signs of progress this season have caught the eye, and hopefully this move will ensure that staff and players will believe that they can achieve great things with Stoke City in the future.

    MadPotter64: Fantastic news, Robins has brought stability to a club that was going nowhere. Hopefully a play-off place this year but if not, he has still done a great job and a brilliant turnaround from nearly being relegated last season.

    Callum: Though a huge Robins fan, I think the board have been a little too hasty in giving him the contract.

    Maybe wait to the end of season first.

  13. Thom Bateman, a man wearing a white shirt and a grey apron, is standing with his arms folded. He is smiling while posing for the photograph. He is standing against a set of illuminated white panels. There is a plant next to him.

  14. Port Vale captain Ben Garrity in action

  15. A multi-storey hospital building, with a number of ambulances parked outside.

  16. A man dressed in a white shirt and a blue chef's apron stands with his arms folded next to a table and brown chair in a restaurant. Behind him are framed pictures mounted on a white-tiled wall. To his left is a large plant.

  17. A woman with light ginger hair is taking a selfie. She appears to be standing in a staircase with pictures on a plain white wall.

  18. A stock image showing a white HGV driving around a corner of a UK road, producing spray from recent rain. The daylight is fading and the lorry has its lights on.

  19. Dr Matt Clarke finished his studies at Keele University's School of Medicine, before joining a global research team that has discovered the breakthrough

  20. A flooded road in Ewyas Harold

  21. A field in Croft, Herefordshire, lightly covered with snow. There is a dog on it and trees to the right. In the distance the feild is greener

  22. Jessica with her son Rory is sitting in a carriage with Santa, a woman wearing a Santa cloak and a life-size teddy bear. Father Christmas and Ms Lymn are waving at the camera. They are sitting in an enclosed carriage decorated with tinsel.

  23. Tow men dressed in black coats and boots gently place one of the sycamore saplings into a hole in the ground. The tree is supported by a thick cane. A crowd of people have gathered to watch.

  24. Potters' strength of character is put to the test

    Mark Elliott
    BBC Radio Stoke commentator

    Mark Robins on the touchline at LeicesterShutterstock

    Leicester had two shots on target and scored each time.

    Both, admittedly, came from Stoke City errors in possession. First from Ashley Phillips and then from Bae Junho, but that might actually bolster the case that the Potters were the better side in this one.

    The second goal was the real killer, right on half-time but Stoke had enough of the ball and enough chances in the second half to take at least a point.

    That they did not leaves them looking to bounce back from two successive defeats but far from disheartened.

    Everyone who follows the club knows that Stoke need to be more clinical in front of goal if they are to allow their consistently-outstanding defence the luxury of being able to make the odd error, but on the balance of play they have probably been a clear second best in just two or three games this season.

    That said, they are now faced with two big home games and a test of their resolve, something all successful teams need.

    Back-to-back defeats can not become a run of three or four without a win, particularly with Charlton the visitors in midweek.

    The Addicks travel north having won just one of their last five and having also lost their last two, with a 5-1 reverse at home against Southampton fresh in their minds.

    Two good results for Stoke over the next week and the last two games can be forgotten.

    If they can recover their momentum quickly the Potters will show they have the strength of character to stay the course, even when things are not going their way.