 It is claimed that Stoke Ramblers was formed in 1863 when former pupils of Charterhouse School formed a football club while apprentices at the North Staffordshire Railway works in Stoke @-@ on @-@ Trent . However , Stoke Ramblers ' first documented match was five years later , on 17 October 1868 , at the club 's original home , the Victoria Cricket Club ground and any earlier history is based on supposition . Played against an E.W. May XV club , the 15 @-@ a @-@ side match ended in a 1 – 1 draw . In the game , the club 's first goal was scored by Henry Almond , Stoke 's founder and captain . Stoke played four further fixtures in 1868 , recording their first victory with a 2 – 0 win against Newcastle @-@ under @-@ Lyme . In 1875 , to cope with rising attendances , the club switched to a ground at <unk> Field , not far from the Victoria Cricket Ground . At this time , the only fixtures were friendly matches ; this changed in 1877 when the Staffordshire Football Association was formed and created a new competition , the County Cup , which Stoke won in the inaugural season , beating Talke Rangers 1 – 0 in the final . In an earlier round , Stoke had recorded what is still the club 's record victory , a 26 – 0 triumph over Mow Cop . Stoke retained the County Cup in the following season with a 2 – 1 win over <unk> and established themselves as the largest club in the area . 
