City are in the FA Cup Fourth Round draw after holding Premier League giants Newcastle United to a goalless draw at the Britannia Stadium.
The Potters dominated large periods of the game and were unlucky not to have won, after both Jon Parkin and Ricardo Fuller went agonisingly close in the final stages of the game.
Boss Tony Pulis welcomed Fuller back into the fold before the match, after he missed the clash against Hull City following the death of his grandmother.
However Rory Delap missed out, after failing to recover from a troublesome thigh injury.
Carl Dickinson was drafted in at his expense and started at left back with Danny Pugh moving in to central midfield.
The players entered the pitch with an electric atmosphere present inside the Britannia Stadium.
Fireworks were going off, scarves were being waved in the air and over eight and a half thousand red and white cards were held up in the Seddon Stand to show a wall of red and white stripes.
The match itself got off to a slow start, with long range efforts from Liam Lawrence and Charles N'Zogbia testing the respective goalkeepers early on.
A quick burst of pace from Fuller almost saw the Jamaican clear through on goal, but Nicky Butt got back to clear the danger.
England hit-man Michael Owen almost fired the Magpies in to the lead in the 20th minute, but after latching on to Jose Enrique's through ball, City keeper Steve Simonsen charged out to brilliantly block his attempted chip.
Liam Lawrence almost caught Shay Given napping shortly after, but his effort from a tight angle hit the side netting.
Australian Mark Viduka turned on a sixpence in the City 18-yard box, but couldn't find a way past Simonsen, who saved well down at the near post.
John Eustace found Richard Cresswell on the left with an inch perfect pass, and he danced past David Rozenhal but his cross in to the penalty area failed to find Fuller.
On the stroke of half time the Potters were awarded a free-kick, 25-yards out. Lawrence and Pugh stepped over the ball before the former Sunderland man whipped an effort inches wide of Given's left hand post.
Thee players returned from the interval refreshed and City immediately set about taking the game to the Premiership side.
Fuller used his pace to beat N'Zogbia on the left flank, but he over-ran the ball in to the path of Rozenhal inside the 6-yard box, and he cleared the ball away for a throw in.
Former Manchester United man Nicky Butt fired well over in the 55th minute, but Sam Allardyce's side should have been ahead a minute later.
Neither Steven Taylor or Owen could tap the ball home following a dangerous ball from Ireland international Damien Duff.
Former Hull man Parkin was brought on in the 60th minute to replace Mamady Sidibe, who jets off to the African Nations tomorrow, and he went agonisingly close to putting the Championship side ahead with his second touch of the game.
The 'Beast' rose to flick on a long ball forward to the feet of Fuller, and after he rounded Given he laid the ball back and Parkin fired goalwards, but just as he turned to celebrate, Abdoulaye Faye flew across the line to divert the ball around the post.
From the resulting corner Cresswell acrobatically attempted to put the Potters ahead, but his effort was blocked on the line, before being scrambled away.
Pulis' side continued to dominate the second period and Fuller again went close in the 66th minute, but his shot was deflected agonisingly wide of Given's right hand post.
The visitors mustered a couple of chances as the game wore on, Butt fired well wide before Alan Smith headed well wide from 10-yards.
Both side's could have won it in the dying stages, with both Fuller and Andy Carroll going extremely close.
