Another survival scrap 'can't happen again'

BBC News

3 days ago

Stoke City defender Ben Wilmot says another relegation battle "cannot happen again" after last season's final-day survival in the Championship.The Potters finished two points - and four places - above the relegation zone after a goalless draw at Derby County proved enough to keep them up.The tense end typified a turbulent season on and off the field at the bet365 Stadium that saw three different permanent managers take charge of a struggling side."Last season was one of the toughest mentally because of all the change," Wilmot told BBC Radio Stoke."And the nervy end to it wasn't very fun, so it was nice to get the job done and switch off for a few weeks."
The appointment of Mark Robins at the start of the year brought some stability to Stoke, who had fired Stephen Schumacher five games into the season before hiring Spaniard Narcis Pelach only to sack him three months later after 19 games and three league wins.Even former Coventry boss Robins could not pull the Potters comfortably clear of trouble, meaning the squad went into that final game at the Rams knowing defeat could see them drop into League One for the first time in more than 20 years."That last week, everybody was talking about the situation and who had to beat who and what we had to do and if we'd lost who we were relying on," Wilmot said."We were just so preoccupied - it was the only topic of conversation for the whole week."It was a very stressful end to the season. Nobody wanted to go down, but it was nice to get the job done and get away from it."
Feels like Robins 'is in charge of the whole place'
That drama and stress have had a lasting impact on the squad, with Wilmot sure the experience will stiffen their resolves as they head into the new season."Everybody will be back with the mindset 'that cannot happen again', and I think it'll certainly put us in good stead," he said."I think we'll be a little bit more fierce in the way we approach games and not allow ourselves to drop that low in the league again - hopefully we can get off to a good start."We just hope for a steadier season on and off the pitch."Last year was very turbulent - it's not easy for people to perform when you're constantly flipping between systems and different managers. It's tough."It's a lot of the lads first time experiencing a relegation battle, and that will only have a positive impact on their careers and how they deal with games mentally."So when times get tough this season, which they will, we'll be better prepared."As horrible as last season was, it's definitely put us in better stead for this."
With another Championship campaign approaching, Robins is now six months into the job and preparing his first pre-season with the players.Unlike the extensive rebuilding of the squad ahead of the 2023-24 season, which saw 19 players signed that summer, the recruitment this time round has been much more measured, with only Wales winger Sorba Thomas the only permanent arrival so far.That, and the unifying influence Robins has had, makes Wilmot "optimistic" going into the new season."It felt that way a few weeks after the manager came in," he said."Things just felt different. You feel like he really is in charge of the whole place, rather than just being the coach, which is a nice feeling - you feel like you've got someone who is the boss."With it not being such a huge turnaround, it feels like we're building something rather than it's another rebuild with 15 to 20 lads leaving and coming in, so the whole vibe around the building has been better than it has been the last few years."
'We can get the club back to where it needs to be'
Stoke start their eighth attempt to get back to the Premier League at home to Derby on Saturday, 9 August, in a repeat of that survival game in May.They will have to improve significantly on their performances last season when they recorded their worst points tally (51), league position (18) and goal difference (-17) since they were relegated from the top flight in 2017-18.But Wilmot, now the club's longest-serving player, having arrived four years ago, is confident that will happen."The reason I came here was to get back into the Premier League and that's not happened," he said."This is probably the most optimistic I've been coming into pre-season over the last few years."With the group we've got and the manager, this season should be a lot better than last, and we'll certainly be pushing for play-offs at least."The turnaround across the board has been crazy, but hopefully things are going to settle down under this manager, and we can get the club back to where it needs to be."