Stoke & Staffordshire

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  1. Shoppers walk down the pavement of Weston Road, Meir. A bus shelter in the foreground has a City of Stoke on Trent logo on the side. An older woman walking towards the camera has a red jacket, red and white dress and carries a black handbag, while another woman in a beige trench coat walks away. Cars can be seen on the road alongside.

  2. A model train layout, showing a red and yellow train at a platform with several small buildings nearby

  3. A black and white photo showing a man in a suit stood in a clothing shop surrounded by suit jackets. He is clean shaven and has a mod haircut style.

  4. A composite of three images - A man with short dark hair and wearing a green and white check jumper is standing behind a marble-topped bar with a ceramic monkey on top. There is a white and green lamp and patterned wallpaper in the background + A woman in a blue Stoke City football shirt has one arm held aloft by a man in a black t-shirt which has the words toe wrestling championship on it. The woman's other hand is clenched in a fist and she is cheering + A man in a multi-coloured costume

  5. Part of a house, showing a section under a window boarded up, with the remains of debris underneath

  6. Robins on 'significant' evolution and Norwich test

    Stoke City manager Mark Robins has been speaking to the media before the Potters' clash with Norwich City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

    Here are the main talking points:

    • Robins believes the Championship is "pretty open" with most teams viable promotion contenders. He sees Middlesbrough as the "early pacesetters" but says his side have "done pretty well."

    • He says Stoke's biggest achievements this season has been finding ways to beat varying qualities of opponents and getting away wins. Robins added "the evolution has been significant" from when he took over, with Stoke City 19th in the Championship in January compared to second in the league currently.

    • Despite an ideal start, Robins has warned the players not to get complacent. Good performances and graft, "competitiveness" and "desire" must be maintained by the players to ensure success.

    • Robins predicts Saturday's game against Norwich to be "a real challenge" and acknowledges joint Championship leading goalscorer Josh Sargent is a big threat for the visitors.

    Listen to the full interview with Mark Robins and more Stoke content on Sounds.

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  7. Steve Thornley, the new leader of Cannock Chase District Council, is standing against a wood-panelled wall. He is bald, has a short grey beard and is wearing glasses and a black suit jacket with white shirt. There are a number of pin badges on his lapel.

  8. Sorba Thomas (right) celebrates his equaliser against Norwich

  9. A group of people are gathered outdoors at night to watch a firework display. They are variously wearing coats and hats. There is a firework bursting in the air above the crowd.

  10. A football with National League branding

  11. A group of winners from the BBC Radio Stoke Make A Difference Awards are gathered at the side of the pitch at the Bet365 Stadium. There is red branded Bet365 seating behind them and they are stood on the side of the football pitch.

  12. A large white and glass unit can be seen in sunshine with small trees and plants close to the left side of the photo. Some cars are parked in a car park at the front of the warehouse.

  13. Mitch is standing on what looks like a hotel or apartment balcony leaning on a glass railing with the sea behind him. He is wearing a white T'shirt with a green and red heart logo on the front spelling the word "palm". The sun is shining behind him and grass can be seen below him to the left leading to the sea.

  14. Three old phones, two black and one brown, in a cupboard.

  15. Goalscorer Charlie Webster of Burton Albion celebrates at Cardiff

  16. A large red brick building with a number of large windows and a sign stating Crown Court and County Court

  17. A barmaid is pulling a pint at the bar. Drinks are in a fridge behind her.

  18. Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, on the left, and Port Vale manager Darren Moore shake hands at the end of the Gunner's 2-0 Carabao Cup win

  19. A man is smiling directly at the camera. He is wearing a grey beanie hat, a grey ruffled over-shirt with a white T-shirt underneath and an apron. He is standing in front of a large brick building.

  20. A woman with short blonde hair, a dark blue top with sparkling silver stripes and a green lanyard reading VOLUNTEER. She is standing in a cafe, with a table of six women sat behind her talking. There are white blinds on the large front window of the cafe. To the left, shelves are stacked with food products. To the right, a cafe counter is covered by vases of flowers, cutlery, boxes of chocolates and a coffee machine.

  21. National League ground

  22. A close-up of a sign showing the silver Jaguar badge to the left under the word Jaguar, and a green Land Rover emblem to the right

  23. Six teams in Championship play-offs 'dilutes it' - Smith

    72+ EFL Pod: Blackburn bother & ballers as chocolate bars

    A potential move to take the Championship play-offs down to eighth place would damage the competition's credibility, according to former Huddersfield, Stoke and Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith.

    The EFL board is set to discuss proposals to increase the number of teams in the end-of-season play-offs from four to six but Smith, who was promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield via the play-offs in 2017 is not a fan of the idea.

    "It's not for me - I think it suits teams who don't really have a chance to get in the top six," he told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

    "From a credibility point of view the top six is there to be aimed at and you have to earn your place in it."

    The play-offs were first introduced for the 1986-87 season where sides finishing third down to fifth were involved along with the team third-from-bottom in the top flight.

    After two seasons the format was changed to be played out between teams finishing third to sixth in the second tier.

    "To finish eighth in the Championship and potentially get promoted to the Premier League it just doesn't sit right with me," added Smith.

    "Notoriously over the past years getting into the top six is tough and when you get in there after a long hard season it feels brilliant, so to make it a top eight it dilutes it."

  24. A man with dark hair, wearing a black jumper over a white t-shirt is looking across the camera, and smiling. Behind him is shelving with boxes on