Stoke City's scoring form has reached a new high under Mark Robins, with the team now on a nine-game scoring streak in the league for the first time since 2018. This offensive consistency has helped them to 13th place in the Championship with 10 points from their first seven matches, a position built on a recent run of three wins from their last five games. The latest of those was a 2-1 victory at Watford on September 12, with goals from Jack McGlynn and Eric Junior Bocat securing the points.
Mark Robins acknowledged the progress, linking it directly to the club's summer planning. "When you’re at a certain point you know that there’s work to be done and I said to you, I said to everybody, in the summer that we knew what we needed to do, the next thing was to go and deliver it," the manager said. The delivery has been notable, especially given the context of losing Sorba Thomas, whose 23 goal contributions last season accounted for 45 percent of the team's total.
A curveball turned opportunity
The departure of Thomas to Hull City in the final moments of the transfer window forced a tactical rethink. Robins described it as one of the "curveballs that come in at the last minute." In response, the team switched to a wing-back system, a move that has unlocked scoring from across the squad. So far this season, eight different players have found the net, with five of them being new signings. This spread of goals marks a significant shift from last term's reliance on Thomas and a clear improvement on the 51 goals scored across the entire previous campaign.
Stoke's current tally of 11 goals scored and 11 conceded gives them a neutral goal difference, a solid foundation as they prepare to host Sheffield United this Saturday. The Blades sit 15th, just two places below Stoke, making it a key fixture in the early-season standings.
Building on a stronger base
The recent 4-0 thrashing of Charlton and the win at Watford show a team playing with more confidence. It is a far cry from the struggles of recent years, where the club has not scored more than 57 goals in a Championship season since their return in 2018, barring the 62 scored in the 2019/20 campaign. Robins credited a collective drive for the raised standards, name-checking figures like John Coates and Jon Walters within the club structure.
While the attack has found a rhythm, the squad is handling a lengthy injury list. Key players currently sidelined include Aaron Cresswell, Ato Ampah, and striker Sam Gallagher, whose absence is felt in the forward line. Despite these setbacks, the team's resilience is evident, with Ethan Galbraith emerging as the current top scorer with three goals.
with kick-off at 12:30pm on Saturday September 19.
The original report is at The Sentinel
