STEVE SIMONSEN
GOALKEEPER
DATE OF BIRTH: 03/04/1979
SIGNED: Everton, 2004 (Free transfer)
City’s undisputed number one was one of a few ever present players in the Championship last season.
A former England Youth and under-21 international, he began his career at Tranmere before moving across the Mersey to join Premiership side Everton in 1998 for a fee £3.3 million - a British record for a goalkeeper.
However, a change of managers at Goodison Park hindered his progress and a free transfer to the Potters followed in 2004.
Steve quickly established himself at the Britannia Stadium and looks set be City’s first choice goalkeeper 2007/08
He broke a club record of six consecutive clean sheets in 2006 and signed a contract extension in the summer of 2007 to keep him at the club until 2010.
RUSSELL HOULT
GOALKEEPER
DATE OF BIRTH: 22/11/1972
SIGNED: West Brom, 2007 (Free transfer)
Russell Hoult signed for the Potters at the end of January 2007 on a free transfer from West Bromwich Albion.
The giant goalkeeper had played almost 200 games for the Baggies and was included in the PFA’s 2001/02 Division One Team of the Year.
Russell signed a one-year extension to stay at the club until the summer of 2008, and made his first-team debut in the Carling Cup defeat at Rochdale.
ANDY WILKINSON
DEFENCE
DATE OF BIRTH: 06/08/1984
SIGNED: Youth, 2002
Andy is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the Championship’s brightest young stars.
The Stone-born youngster broke into the side at the start of the 2005/06 season before suffering tendonitis of the knee, which forced him out of action for nearly four months.
He returned in March to make three more starts before missing the rest of the campaign after sustaining ankle ligament damage during a clash against Southampton on April 15.
A strong and competitive Academy graduate, Andy has also enjoyed loan spells at Telford, Partick Thistle, Shrewsbury Town and Blackpool respectively.
He has this season gone on to hold down a regular place in the first team squad, and a string of impressive performances have seen him establish himself as a key member of the first team.
ANDY GRIFFIN
DEFENCE
DATE OF BIRTH: 17/03/1979
SIGNED: Derby County, 2008 (£300k)Andy returned to the place he calls home during the January transfer window after completing a £300,000 move from Derby County.
The tough tackling defender has now signed for the Potters on four separate occasions.
RYAN SHAWCROSS
DEFENCE
DATE OF BIRTH: 04/10/1987
SIGNED: Manchester United, 2008 (£2,000,000)Ryan completed a potential £2,000,000 deal in January 2008, after impressing immensely during his initial loan spell from Manchester United.
The 20-year old signed on the Thursday before the season opener at Cardiff City on a 6-month loan, and went on to score the winning goal on his debut at Ninian Park.
A tall and powerful defender, Ryan is very dangerous at set-plays, and has already hit the back of the net on seven occasions this season, including a memorable header against West Brom.
Regarded as one for the future by Sir Alex Ferguson, he was disappointed when the protégé turned down a new deal at Old Trafford to sign permanently for the Potters.
LEWIS BUXTON
DEFENCE
DATE OF BIRTH: 10/12/1983
SIGNED: Portsmouth, 2005 (Nominal fee)
Lewis continued to make steady progress on the first-team stage in 2005/06 with several dependable displays at both right and left full-back.
A promising young defender signed from Portsmouth in December 2004, despite his tender years he wasted no time in making his mark at the Britannia Stadium by quickly holding down a place in the side.
Handed his professional debut aged just seventeen at Pompey under Graham Rix, further loan spells at Exeter and Bournemouth have since seen him build up a reputation as a steady performer, capable of filling in anywhere across the defence.
Lewis also registered his first career goal in September 2005 against Wolves but injury has hampered his start to the 2007/08 season.
LEON CORT
DEFENCE
DATE OF BIRTH: 11/09/1979
SIGNED: Crystal Palace, 2008 (£1,200,000)
A November signing by Tony Pulis, Leon arrived on an initial two month emergency loan from Crystal Palace.
A former Southend United centre half, Cort joined Hull City in 2004 and went on to score 10 goals from defence in just over 80 appearances.
A £1,250,000 move to Selhurst Park followed in the summer of 2006 and by the end of the season Leon had picked up the Player of the Season award.
Ironically, his last game for Palace before moving to the Britannia Stadium came against City as the Potters secured a 3-1 at Selhurst Park.
City then broke the club’s transfer record with the completion of a £1,200,000 transfer of Cort in January 2008.
A big, strong defender, Leon has now played over 150 consecutive games without receiving a yellow card.
MARLON BROOMES
DEFENCE
DATE OF BIRTH: 28/11/1977
SIGNED: Preston North End, 2005 (Exchange)
A former England U21 international defender, who proved a useful addition to the squad after signing from Preston in a swap deal involving Lewis Neal on the eve of the 2006/07 season.
Marlon was groomed by Blackburn from a trainee but made his league debut while on loan at Swindon in 1996.
He went on to enjoy four seasons at Ewood Park, punctuated by further loan spells at QPR and Grimsby before linking up with Sheffield Wednesday, and then moving on to Preston.
Even though his preferred position is at centre-back, Marlon proved a reliable outlet at left-back for much of his debut season with the club, however injury ruled him out for the whole of last season.
CARL DICKINSON
DEFENCE
DATE OF BIRTH: 31/03/1987
SIGNED: Youth, 2002
An encouraging addition to the first-team squad in 2005/06, young Carl shrugged off the agony of a broken leg to make five senior appearances for City.
Signed from Derby County’s academy in 2002, Carl is a versatile player who can play in a variety of positions.
A mainstay for the under 19’s and reserves over the past three seasons, he is a physical and determined player, who is comfortable at left-back, left midfield or central midfield.
Earned rave reviews after an impressive full-debut against Sheffield United and also gained further experience on loan at Blackpool in the first half of the 2006/07 season.
Dickinson was the joint-winner of the Young Player of the Season award alongside Martin Paterson.
LIAM LAWRENCE
MIDFIELD
DATE OF BIRTH: 14/12/1981
SIGNED: Sunderland, 2006 (£500,000)Liam joined City from Premiership side Sunderland in November 2006 for a fee of £500,000.
A goalscoring midfielder by trade, the 25-year-old star can operate on either flank or through the middle, although his favoured position is on the right.
He joined Sunderland from Mansfield in June 2004 for £175,000 after emerging through the ranks and scoring 22 goals in 2003/04 at Field Mill.
A regular in the Black Cats side which won promotion to the Premiership in 2004/05 and was subsequently relegated last season, he was named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the first time in March 2006.
Liam enjoyed a superb first season with the club last year, scoring five valuable goals, and he will be looking to improve on that this time around.
DOMINIC MATTEO
MIDFIELD
DATE OF BIRTH: 28/04/1974
SIGNED: Blackburn Rovers, 2007 (Free Transfer)
The former Scottish International originally signed a six-month deal in January 2007 after arriving on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers.
The highly-experienced defender-turned-midfielder played over a century of games for both Liverpool and Leeds United, and scored for the latter against AC Milan at the San Siro.
Matteo proved to be great competition for Salif Diao, Darel Russell and John Eustace in the final stages of the 2006/07 season, and after training unpaid for the summer, was handed a one-year contract on the eve of the 2007/08 campaign.
Dominic was handed the captain’s armband following the departure of Danny Higginbotham in August.
ANTHONY PULIS
MIDFIELD
DATE OF BIRTH: 21/07/1984
SIGNED: Portsmouth, 2005 (Free transfer)
Ant followed Lewis Buxton to the Britannia Stadium from Portsmouth in December 2004.
A talented young midfielder with great potential, he’s been identified as a long-term prospect by the City management, having come through the ranks at Fratton Park and captaining Pompey’s reserves.
Spent a short spells on loan at Torquay in 2004/05 and then Plymouth last season, where he made his Championship debut as the Pilgrims battled to safety.
Heavily involved with the club’s pre-season preperations, Pulis notched up a goal in the 2-1 win over Bad Aussee in Austria.
He has gone on to make a number of appearances for the first team, including a late substitute appearance against Newcastle United.
JOHN EUSTACE
MIDFIELD
DATE OF BIRTH: 03/11/1979
SIGNED: Coventry City, 2003 (Free transfer)
A long-term knee problem forced the influential midfielder to miss a large chunk of 2006, however he returned to the first team fold at the start of 2007.
Unfortunate injuries once again foiled the progress of the 27-year old, who joined the Potters from Coventry City via a loan spell at Middlesbrough in July 2003.
A tough-tackling, goalscoring midfield player, before his injury struck John played a pivotal role during the 2003/04 season, weighing in with some important goals during City’s mid-season rich vein of form.
John enjoyed a period of rehabilitation at League Two side Hereford last season, before impressing for the Potters towards the end of the campaign.
Eustace signed a one-year extension to stay at the club until the summer of 2008, and his since gone on to become a regular starter for the first team.
Tony Pulis’ faith in the midfielder was proven when he was handed the captaincy following Dominic Matteo’s injury in November 2007.
RORY DELAP
MIDFIELD
DATE OF BIRTH: 06/07/1976
SIGNED: Sunderland, 2007 (Undisclosed fee)City swooped to sign Rory, a versatile midfielder, on loan in October in a move that would later become a permanent move in January 2007.
However, the Republic of Ireland international broke his leg on his home debut, ironically against Sunderland.
City boss Tony Pulis kept his word though and completed the proposed transfer when the window reopened in January of 2007.
Rory started his career with hometown club Carlisle before moving to Derby and then the Saints for a fee of £4 million in July 2001.
He then joined the Mackems on a free transfer from Southampton in January 2006 following four successfully seasons on the South Coast.
Rory returned to first-team action at the start of the 2007/08 season and has played a pivotal role with his hard work and extremely long throw ins as the Potters push for promotion.
SALIF DIAO
MIDFIELD
DATE OF BIRTH: 10/02/1977
SIGNED: Unattached, 2007 (Free)Salif proved a shrewd loan acquisition by manager Tony Pulis last season after finding first-team football hard to come by at Liverpool.
Signed by City until the end of the season following a highly successful loan spell, the powerful midfielder played a major part in the Potters rise up the Championship table.
He spent the entire 2005/06 season on loan at Portsmouth, while he finished the 2004/05 season on loan at Birmingham City, but a series of unfortunate injuries hampered both spells.
Handed a five-year contract by Gerard Houllier when he was signed from Sedan for a fee in excess of £5 million in the summer of 2002, the Senegalese international scored one of the best goals in the World Cup 2002 finals against Denmark when he finished off a brilliant team move.
Sal turned down several top flight clubs to pen a permanent deal at the Britannia Stadium in November, 2007 until the summer of 2010.
DEMAR PHILLIPS
MIDFIELD
DATE OF BIRTH: 23/09/1983
SIGNED: Waterhouse, 2007 (Undisclosed fee)
An August Deadline Day capture, Demar joined the Potters for an undisclosed but significant fee from Jamaican outfit Waterhouse.
A winger blessed with terrific skill and pace, Phillips has played over 25 times for his country.
Demar made his debut for the club in November 2007 when he came on as a substitute against Sheffield United.
RICHARD CRESSWELL
STRIKER
DATE OF BIRTH: 20/09/1977
SIGNED: Leeds United, 2007 (Undisclosed fee)
Signed from Leeds United for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2007, Richard has a great goalscoring pedigree.
He began his career with York City but enjoyed his most fruitful spell in front of goal at Preston, where he partnered Ricardo Fuller in attack.
He will hope to regain the great understanding he forged with Fuller this campaign as the Potters push for promotion.
Richard has shown his versatility by playing on the left wing, and has chipped in with nine goals, playing a major part in City’s superb season so far.
MAMADY SIDIBE
STRIKER
DATE OF BIRTH: 18/12/1979
SIGNED: Swansea, 2005 (Free transfer)
A powerful, imposing striker, Mama just gets better and better each and every year.
The Mali international, signed on a free transfer from Gillingham in the summer of 2005, missed only a handful of games in his debut season and proved an excellent foil for main goal-getters Paul Gallagher and Sam Bangoura.
Standing at 6’ 5" tall, the 27-year-old is a deceptive player. Despite his obvious aerial ability, Mama is extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet, which makes him an effective target man both in the air and on the ground.
Began his career in England with Swansea in 2001 after crossing the channel from FC Paris.
Bagged a very satisfactory nine goals as the Potters pushed for the Play-Offs last season, as well as assisting many more.
He is currently taking part in the African Nations Cup, representing Mali.
JON PARKIN
STRIKER
DATE OF BIRTH: 30/12/1981
SIGNED: Hull City, 2007 (£275,000)
"The Beast" penned a three-year deal worth £275,000 for the Potters in the summer of 2007.
During a successful loan period the season prior, Parkin netted 3 goals in 6 games to help fire City towards the play-offs.
Recalled early by his parent club Hull, losing the burly striker was a big blow to the club’s promotion ambitions.
A super-strong striker, Parkin also has good feet and a keen eye for goal.
The Barnsley-born hitman has a decent goalscoring record - he bagged 30 goals in 65 league starts for Macclesfield Town before the move to Humberside.
The deal with Hull City could rise to £450,000 depending on club and personal success.
He immediately got on the goalscoring trail early in the 2007/08 season bagging a late winner against Charlton, and followed that up with a 15-yard header at Southampton.
RICARDO FULLER
STRIKER
DATE OF BIRTH: 31/10/1979
SIGNED: Southampton, 2006 (£500,000)Ricardo signed for the Potters on transfer deadline day in August 2006 on a three-year-contract.
The 6’3" hitman opted for the switch to the Potteries after spending two seasons on the south coast with Portsmouth and Southampton.
After originally making his name at Preston, the Jamacian international earned a move south after hitting 31 goals in 63 appearances at Deepdale - moving to Pompey for a cool £1m.
Injuries hampered the start of his career at Fratton Park, restricting him to 13 starts and 18 substitute appearances in the Premiership, but after Pompey boss Harry Redknapp moved to local rivals Southampton, Fuller followed for a fee of £90,000 in the summer of 2005.
The powerful and pacy striker immediately won over the City faithful with a number of exceptional displays, bagging ten goals from just 25 appearances.
He has carried on his impressive form this season, and is on course to out do last season’s goal haul.
VINCENT PERICARD
STRIKER
DATE OF BIRTH: 03/10/1982
SIGNED: Portsmouth, 2006 (Free transfer)
A powerful striker, Vincent became Tony Pulis’ first signing since returning as City manager when he signed a three-year deal with the Potters after leaving Portsmouth in June 2006.
Born in Cameroon, the 24-year-old is a former France under-21 international and began his professional career with Saint Etienne before joining Italian giants Juventus as a 17-year-old in 2000.
He gained Champions League experience during his time in Turin and moved to England with Portsmouth originally on a season-long loan in 2002.
After bagging ten goals as Harry Redknapp’s men romped to promotion to the Premiership, the move swiftly became a permanent arrangement, but a serious knee injury restricted him to just six appearances during the next two seasons at Fratton Park.
After returning, he spent most of the 2005/06 campaign out on loan to regain his fitness, firstly at Sheffield United and then under Pulis at Plymouth Argyle.
He scored four goals during a brief spell at Home Park and impressed enough for the new City manager to pursue his interest following Vincent’s release from Pompey.
His first season at the Britannia Stadium was fairly disappointing by his standards, and following his spell in prison in October 2007, he is aiming to prove a point.
