Brit-10-Years: Where Are They Now?
As part of the "Brit-10-Years" project we took a look back at the first-ever game at the Britannia Stadium with Rochdale.
And despite what you may imagine, there are more players from that first-ever Stoke side still playing football professionally.
Naturally, the first ones that spring to mind are Andy Griffin, Peter Thorne and Graham Kavanagh.
Griffin only this summer turned down a move back to the club in favour of at-least-a-season in the Premier League with Derby County.
Graham Kavanagh is also a top-flight footballer, having arrived as part of Roy Keane's Irish flavoured revolution at Sunderland last term.
Thorney, meanwhile, was released from Norwich in May and has since signed on at League Two Bradford City.
But there are indeed other veterans from that game who still ply their trade ten years on.
Keeper Carl Muggleton, soon to be 39 years of age, is on the books at Mansfield Town following four years at Chesterfield. The one-time Celtic keeper notched up almost a century and a half league games for the Potters in a seven-year spell.
Steven Tweed is still in the game too; he's already played five games for East Fife this season, and scored the opening goal in their 3-2 win at Elgin City on Saturday. The giant Scottish defender is on loan from Livingston and also enjoyed spells MSV Duisburg and Yokohama FC after leaving the Brit.
The former British Army member Justin Whittle is also battling on at Grimsby Town having captained both the Mariners and Hull City in his post-Potters career.
Former Player-of-the-Season Kevin Keen is the first team coach at West Ham United, and briefly held the caretaker-manager role between Alan Pardew and Alan Curbishley's reigns at Upton Park.
The summer's Masters Football tournament saw two other players from the Rochdale game once again pull on a City shirt.
Ally Pickering and Richard Forsyth donned the colours of the club for our debut in the tournament.
Forsyth retired from the game a couple of years ago after a non-league stint with Northwich whilst Pickering stepped down from the managerial post at Stockport-based Woodley Sports FC this summer.
- Carl Muggleton - Mansfield Town
- Ally Pickering - Vacated manager post of Woodley Sports FC this summer
- Andy Griffin - Derby County
- Larus Sigurdsson - Retired at West Brom, returned to Iceland
- Steven Tweed - Livingston (on loan at East Fife)
- Kevin Keen - First Team Coach at West Ham United
- Richard Forsyth - Played Masters Football for the club this summer
- Ray Wallace - Left City and had stints with Hull, Airdrie, Altrincham & Witton
- Peter Thorne - Bradford City
- Paul Stewart - Played for Workington following his release, now retired.
- Graham Kavanagh - Sunderland
Substitutes
- Justin Whittle - Grimsby Town
- Dick Schreuder - Whereabouts unknown
- Gerry McMahon - Sold to St. Johnstone for £85,000
