Stoke & Staffordshire

Latest Updates

  1. A bald man wearing a black Abbey Hulton United polo shirt stands next to a football pitch with a clubhouse in the background.

  2. An aerial view of a rocky ridge in the middle of the Peak District. The rocky ridge is in the foreground while a road can be seen snaking through fields in the distance.

  3. A store in a terraced building that says "Vape Shop" over the front window. Vapes and tobacco products can be seen in the front window.

  4. The entrance to a factory site with a sign outside which says "Moog Wolverhampton". A security guard is standing against a white van, which is blocking the entrance. A silver car is parked next to the white van.

  5. A man with white hair and a white beard, wearing a suit and tie, stands outside the front of a brown building with a park area, trees and people sitting on benches behind him.

  6. A red and yellow helicopter with Midlands Air Ambulance branding on it flies low over a field with trees in the background

  7. A woman with short blonde hair, a necklace and white shirt, stands next to a man, with white hair and a blue and white striped shirt, in front of a purple wall that says BBC Radio Stoke.

  8. Dajaune Brown in action for Derby

  9. A woman with short blonde hair styled in a bob is standing on a pavement next to a road and a roundabout. She is wearing a black blazer jacket and a white top, with a black and white badge pinned to her lapel.

  10. A lady with blonde hair tied back is wearing a black T-shirt and smiling at the camera. Stood next to her is a young boy with blonde curly hair and wearing a black T-shirt with a white tick on one side and a Paris Saint-Germain logo on the other. There is a blue-floored padel court behind them.

  11. A woman wearing a dark blue Team GB outfit, has her hands on her hips and smiles while standing in front of a poster, with a lake behind it.

  12. Stoke boss Mark Robins stands with arms folded looking out from the touchline during a match

  13. Robins given few selection headaches after cup exit

    Mark Elliott
    Stoke City commentator for BBC Radio Stoke

    Bradford's Nick Powell attempts a bicycle kick against StokeGetty Images

    Stoke's Carabao Cup exit to Bradford City will probably go down as a missed opportunity for a number of the players brought in by Mark Robins to a team showing 10 changes from the one that won at Southampton at the weekend.

    The Potters are flying in the league and have been fielding a consistent XI for the most part leaving one or two fit players stuck on the outside looking in.

    The tie against Bradford was an early-season chance for those involved to give Robins a problem when he sits down to pick a team for Saturday's Championship game against West Bromwich Albion and food for thought for the international break.

    In truth, nobody really made the most of that chance as Stoke slumped to a 3-0 defeat.

    There were positives. A debut for teenager Chinonso Chibueze and game time for other young players in Favour Fawunmi, Jaden Mears and Will Smith will help their development and shows a pathway to the first team from the under-21s exists.

    There were also minutes for more senior players in need of them.

    Highly-rated centre-back Maksym Taloveirov finally made his debut after signing in the summer and fellow summer recruit Robert Bozenik played the whole game.

    Jamie Donley and Ashley Phillips also got valuable time on the pitch.

    In the end, a makeshift side couldn't match a Bradford team in good form in League One.

    As a team, this XI may never play together again but few individuals did their first-team prospects any favours either.

    It's a minor setback for a Potters squad who have made a great start to the season overall and Robins will enter the final weekend before the international break without too many selection dilemmas to solve.

  14. Port Vale manager Darren Moore applauds his side's supporters at St Andrew's after their Carabao Cup win over Birmingham City.

  15. An elderly man with a white beard, dark sunglasses, a white cricket hat and green overalls covered in paint blotches is standing in front of five garages. He is holding a broom in one hand and trees can be seen in the background.

  16. A boy with short black hair, glasses, a green and black shirt, smiles as he stands in a house. A brick wall is behind him as well as a door leading into another room.

  17. A middle-aged woman with shoulder-length light blonde hair. She wears a black shirt and stands in a tattoo studio with several tattoo beds behind her.

  18. A road with large industrial units either side. There are double yellow lines and junctions leading to units on the left hand side and right hand side of the road.

  19. 'Bright young talent' Grant can thrive - Quy

    Quy: 'He's a bright young talent'

    Former Stoke City goalkeeping coach Andy Quy believes the club are future-proofing their goalkeeping department with the signing of England Under-19 international True Grant from Manchester City.

    Stoke's goalkeepers have an average age of 31 and Quy reckons the club has done well to bring in teenager Grant, who has plenty of time to become adequately equipped with professional footballing experience.

    "[Stoke City can provide] good training, exposure to games and being able to learn on the job. Put yourself out there and play against different sides, crowds and in different environments," he said on BBC Radio Stoke.

    "There'll be a pathway for him I'm sure, which may be through the loan system."

    Grant, who is the son of former Stoke City goalkeeper and current Huddersfield Town manager Lee Grant, has already shown he is an all-rounder whilst on loan at Buxton.

    "He's a very athletic young goalkeeper, as Lee was. Good physique, good spring. He's excellent with his feet and a good shot-stopper," said Quy.

    "He certainly is a bright young talent."

    Listen to the full interview with Andy Quy and more Stoke City on BBC Sounds.

    black banner that says 'listen on sounds'

  20. Stock photo of three hands with white gloves on holding various medical tools as surgery is carried out. The patient is covered in a green gown, and the surgeons are in blue scrubs.

  21. A view from a bridge of a dual carriageway running below and into the distance. Fields and trees are either side of the road. A large factory building is on the right.

    • UK
    Jeff and Janie Johnson and one of their guide dogs. Jeff wears a white T-shirt and shorts, hugging a golden retriever guide dog, Janie is dressed in a blue and pink skirt and blouse, and is wearing dark glasses

  23. Three people dressed as Stormtroopers and two dressed as Jawas from Star Wars, pose for a picture outside of the entrance to a building.

  24. A man in a yellow football shirt is stood on a football pitch. The goal stands behind him, with a standing terrace behind that, and two factory units behind that. The man has short bark hair, dark stubble and his football shirt has the crest of Leek Town FC on the left chest.