Stoke City

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West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City have been fined £5,000 each after a mass brawl during their Championship meeting last month.

Both clubs were charged by the Football Association with failing to control their players after a "mass confrontation" which happened around the hour mark of their match on 30 August.

The Baggies won the match 1-0 to move above the Potters into second place in the Championship.

The clubs admitted the charge and accepted the standard penalty.

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Stoke City midfielder Tomas Rigo scored a last-minute winner for Slovakia against Luxembourg as they remained top of their World Cup qualifying group.

The 23-year-old struck in the final seconds of the game at Stade de Luxembourg as Slovakia won 1-0 to follow up their opening win in Germany and maintain their 100% start to their qualifying campaign.

Sunday's goal is his second at senior international level in his seventh appearance having scored on his debut in a 4-0 friendly win over San Marino in June 2024.

Rigo joined Stoke from Banik Ostrava for an undisclosed fee on 30 August and could make his debut for the Potters when they return to Championship action at home to Birmingham City on Saturday, 13 September (15:00 BST).

Forest Green Rovers have signed Stoke City forward Adriel Walker on a month-long youth loan.

The 19-year-old joined the Potters in February 2025 after nine years at West Bromwich Albion's academy.

Walker has yet to play a senior game in his career.

"Adriel is an exciting forward who has started the season in fine form," Forest Green manager Robbie Savage said.

"He's quick, dynamic, and has an eye for goal.

"We're a club who love giving opportunities to young players and, given a couple of recent injuries in the forward line, it was important that we were active in getting somebody with quality to add to the ranks."

Stoke City sporting director Jonathan Walters is satisfied with the state of the first-team squad after making 10 new signings during the summer transfer window.

Transfers into the club included Aaron Cresswell from Premier League West Ham, Wales international Sorba Thomas and French forward Lamine Cisse from Bastia.

"We mainly hit all our main targets and players that we targeted with the recruitment team, with the coaching staff," Walters told BBC Radio Stoke.

The former Stoke player praised the efficiency of his recruitment team with the bulk of the Potters' work conducted in July and early August.

As rivals scrambled around to get deals done, midfielder Tomas Rigo was the only senior addition made in the final two weeks of the window with the Slovakian signed from Banik Ostrava on August 30.

"To get [signings] in early helps them settle, whether they're moving from a different country, whether it settles the family," Walters added.

"There's a lot of things that go into it to have a player settle at the club but then get to know everyone here get them integrated into how we train, how we play and the coaches always want them early.

"[We considered] how they fit into how we play, is there a space for them in the team, do we need that type of player and [could they help with] shaping where we want to see the club evolve."

One such player that fit that criteria is returning midfielder Steven Nzonzi, who last played for Stoke between 2012-2015 making 120 appearances, alongside former team-mate Walters. He re-signed this summer from Iran Pro League side Sepahan.

"Steven obviously knows the club very well, he feels like he has unfinished business and the club is his home," he said.

"Having a World Cup winner in and around the club, [brings] a standard. Whether that be doing things right, eating right, living right, rehab, gym, how you train, what you demand. There's lots of things he adds to the squad.

"It's really important that we build a really strong dressing room that allows people to challenge each other but does it in the right way [with] hunger and desire to really push on as a group."

Listen to the full interview with Jonathan Walters and more Stoke City on Sounds.

Mark Elliott
Stoke City commentator for BBC Radio Stoke

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Mark Robins described the defeat by West Bromwich Albion as "frustrating" and it's hard to disagree.

Stoke could have had penalty of goals. They hit the post through Divin Mubama and saw Bae Jun-ho fire wide when well placed. They probably deserved at least a point.

It took a rare error from Viktor Johansson to gift Albion a goal and whilst they always looked a threat, it wasn't a game in which the Swedish goalkeeper was overly busy.

The same could probably be said about his opposite number Josh Griffiths, and the biggest takeaway from this game and the first four games of the season is that games involving teams at the right end of the Championship will be tight and like this one, could go any one of three ways.

West Brom looked like a good second tier side who are well drilled, competitive and robust. Stoke look like a good and equally competitive second tier side too.

There will be countless close games for the Potters this season as we saw at Southampton and at home to Derby when Stoke came from behind to win.

Even Sheffield Wednesday made a game of the contest at Hillsborough which Stoke eventually won comfortably and they were meant to be the exception given their troubles off the field.

If Stoke can win anywhere near three out of every four matches for the rest of the season, and look as competitive as they did against the Baggies in the games they lose, it'll be a great season.

The performance in defeat and the impeding addition to the matchday squad of new signings Tomas Rigo, Lamine Cisse and Steven Nzonzi suggests the unbeaten run may be over but optimism around the club and the fan base should very much remain.

Halifax Town have signed centre-back Jake Griffin on loan from Stoke City until 27 September.

The 19-year-old has never made a senior appearance for the Potters but had a spell on loan at Brackley Town in National League North last season.

Stoke City manager Mark Robins insists "nobody is getting carried away" as they aim to maintain their 100% start to the Championship season against unbeaten West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Robins made 10 changes as the Potters lost 3-0 at home to League One side Bradford City in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

They will be looking to bounce back against West Brom and make it four wins out of four heading into the international break.

"The level of focus is there and it is really important," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke. "It is really key to maintain that good start that we have had, and that is all it is - nobody is getting carried away.

"We just need to maintain that concentration and really focus on us and make sure we carry out the plan. It will be near enough a full house, which is fantastic at this stage, and those expectation levels go up alongside it.

"It is really important that we keep our feet on the ground and understand what it takes to win football matches or put in performances that warrant winning matches, against a really good West Brom side that is under new management and that has fundamentally changed, because they have brought in a lot of really talented boys, albeit they may lose two over the next 24 hours or so."

Stoke and Middlesbrough are the only Championship sides to win all three of their opening games, and are only separated by goal difference.

Following their cup defeat Robins has called on the fans to "maintain their support".

"The support have to maintain, so when things don't go as well as we hoped, just stick together and get us through that and help us over those periods because it will happen in a season.

"It is difficult; it is not going to be 46 games where everyone is going to roll over and we will win them all. We know it is going to be tough, but also we can't put barriers there for ourselves."

Listen to the full interview with Mark Robins and more on BBC Sounds

Early table-toppers Stoke will seek to keep their perfect start to the Championship season going as they host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 BST).

Mark Robins' men have scored eight goals across their opening three wins and host the unbeaten Baggies who saw their own perfect start ended by a home draw against Portsmouth last Saturday, a game in which head coach Ryan Mason was shown a red card which will keep him in the stands for the trip to the Potteries.

• Stoke City have failed to win any of their past six league games against West Brom (D3 L3), losing this exact fixture 2-1 last season.

• West Brom have won four of their past six away league games against Stoke City (D1 L1), three of which have come via a one-goal margin.

• Stoke have won each of their opening three league games this season and will be looking to win their opening four for the first time since 1998-99 in the third tier.

• After remaining unbeaten in the Championship so far this season (W2 D1), West Brom will be looking to win three of their opening four league games of a campaign for the second consecutive season.

• Stoke will be looking to win successive home league games for just the second time since the start of last season after beating Derby 3-1 in their last outing at the bet365 Stadium.

"He looks like he has found a new home and it is really exciting. It was asked last week if he was a proper Stoke winger and it looks like it, doesn't it? He loves to take on his full-back, gets crosses into the box and makes things happen.

"If I was winger coming through at Stoke, I would be thinking 'I want to play like him'."

Matt Sandoz joins Pete Smith to discuss Sorba Thomas and Mark Robins' media conference ahead of their home fixture to West Bromwich Albion.

Can Stoke go into the international break top of the Championship?

Listen to the full episode and more on BBC Sounds.

Mark Elliott
Stoke City commentator for BBC Radio Stoke

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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.

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.

Charlotte Richardson
Final Score reporter at St Mary's

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"We are top of the league" rang out amongst Stoke City supporters and how proud they can be of their side's resilient display at Southampton.

Three wins in three for the visitors inflicting a first defeat of the campaign for Will Still's side.

I have to shout out Stoke keeper, Viktor Johansson. He pulled off some exceptional saves at key moments.

Commanding off his line, positionally astute, there was little he could do to prevent Taylor Harwood-Bellis' bullet header - but what a part he played in what proved to be the winning goal.

Johansson came out to gather a Southampton corner, doing so with such poise and clarity he was able to quickly identify the counter-attacking opportunity was on.

He unleashed Sorba Thomas, who dispatched the chance well but Stoke's No.1 played a huge part - in the goal and the victory.

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke's Stoke City commentator

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Stoke City showed a different side of themselves at Southampton and left the south coast having turned a very good start to the season into a great one.

They edged the game with 11 men on the field but it was Divin Mubama's red card that gave the Potters the chance to really show the progress they're making.

Stoke started the game well without creating the clear-cut chances their work between the boxes deserved.

They were thankful for one terrific save from Viktor Johansson and wastefulness from impressive teenager Jay Robinson and former Stoke man Taylor Harwood-Bellis, but they were the better side.

Lewis Baker scored a vital goal to punish those mistakes and keeps popping up in dangerous areas in and around the edge of the penalty area. It's realistic to think he could provide 10 goals or more from midfield this season.

Mubama's dismissal, which followed a second yellow card for diving, felt extremely harsh and changed the game, but Stoke took the opportunity to show they could win when their backs are against the wall.

Sorba Thomas' fine finish from a brilliant Johansson assist gave them breathing space and showed they can be clinical on the break, whilst their defending highlighted a growing togetherness and tenaciousness.

To a man, Stoke's players all talk about the bond they're forming and the fact that they feel they're part of a group that could do something special this season.

The calm resilience with which they saw the game out had a noisy away end bouncing at full-time.

Players, coaches and fans were celebrating in unison in the corner at St Mary's and it feels like that togetherness is extending out from the dressing room and onto the terraces in a way not seen at this club in a long time.

Manager Mark Robins was again the voice of reason post-match. Whilst warning everyone not to get too far ahead of themselves, he did tell the fans and players to "enjoy this". Starts don't get much better.

So, how would Robins celebrate? "A bottle of water" with a bit of game analysis on the long journey home. That win was intoxicating enough.

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Stoke City manager Mark Robins described Divin Mubama's dismissal for diving at Southampton as "unnecessary" and wondered if his striker could have stayed on his feet and scored instead.

Mubama went to ground after Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu rushed out and dived at his feet as the Stoke striker bore down on goal just before the hour mark.

Referee Josh Smith deemed Mubama's actions worthy of a second caution for simulation.

Stoke eventually held on despite their numerical disadvantage to claim a 2-1 victory and third successive Championship win but Robins said: "We went down to 10 men unnecessarily, in my opinion.

"He's got his ankles tapped by the goalkeeper, there's no doubt about that, but I think he's gone round the goalkeeper.

"His first touch has taken him around him so it begs the question why would he go down? I don't get it.

"I haven't asked him, I have not had that conversation with him.

"But I think that he can go round him, stick it into the empty net and then walk away with his arm raised in the air rather than getting a red card for a second yellow, which means we miss him for Tuesday and we've got a backs against the wall task for the remaining, half an hour."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds