Stoke & Staffordshire

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  1. A woman wearing ceremonial fire service uniform is standing outdoors in a garden with trees and fence behind her. She has brown hair and is smiling for the photograph.

  3. Stoke players have to 'suck up criticism' - Robins

    Robins: 'It's been a season of great promise, then real disappointment'

    Stoke City's players need to learn how to accept criticism if they are to be successful, according to head coach Mark Robins.

    The Potters were fourth in the Championship table at the start of December, just three points off the automatic promotion places, but they have won only six of their subsequent 23 games to slip to 13th place, 12 points adrift of the top six.

    "It's been a season of great promise to start with and then real disappointment," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

    "Everybody talks about that position we're in, being mid-table obscurity, and no-one wants that. The emotions in mid-table are totally different, so we need to be at the top end of the division.

    "I don't want to be at the bottom end of the division and we're not, but that's scant consolation for the promise the season showed at the start. So the disappointment is there and it's tangible for everybody."

    Stoke were beaten 2-0 at Derby County on Monday, and Robins is hoping his players can react the right way to the criticism which followed that performance when they host Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (15:00 BST).

    "We speak about ego, where if you get criticism nowadays it's difficult for people to take on board, but like I said at the end of the game, 'Suck it up'. Understand what is going on, understand what your part of the bargain is, and deliver. That's our job.

    "It gives me a lot of information of how people cope in certain situations. When everything is going great everyone is alright, but people react in different ways under pressure, and it's something people need to learn to deal with - we've got five games left and I want to win all five of them."

    Listen to more Stoke City content and interviews on BBC Sounds.

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  4. EFL confirms fixture release date

    An EFL football with goal design perched on top of a blue cone with EFL branding on itGetty Images

    The 2026-27 EFL season will kick-off on August 7 with the opening round of the Carabao Cup

    The EFL has announced the fixtures for the 2026-27 season will be published at midday on Thursday, 25 June.

    The first-round draws for the Carabao Cup and the Vertu Trophy will be made on the same day.

    The new season will kick off on the weekend of August 7-9 with the first round of the Carabao Cup, and the opening fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two will follow a week later on 14-16 August.

    The first round of the Vertu Trophy will be played in the week commencing 21 September.

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  5. A hospital with ambulances parked outside it. The hospital building is several storeys high and red, black and yellow outside on the lower part.

  6. A man wearing a high visibility jacket is talking to a group of young boys, also wearing high visibility jackets. They appear to be in an industrial facility.

  7. A police mugshot of a woman with curly auburn hair. She is wearing a grey top. She is positioned against a light-coloured backdrop.

  8. A police mug shot of a man with short brown hair and a beard. He is positioned against a light-coloured background and is looking directly at the camera. He is wearing a black top.

    • UK
    A police mugshot of Esten Bennett. He has short black hair and black facial hair.

  10. A man in a blue shirt taps a payment card on a contactless reader while boarding a bus. The bus driver , a man in a black vest, white shirt snd red tieis seated behind a transparent safety screen at the front of the vehicle, with the steering wheel and control panel visible. The image is taken inside the bus during daytime, with an urban street scene visible through the windows.

  11. A mainly blue and white sign by a hedge includes the words "Welcome to our Smokefree Hospital" and a red, white and black no-smoking sign. Some cars are visible in the background.

  12. Pick of the stats: Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers

    Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers club badgesOpta

    Blackburn Rovers will look to pull further clear of the Championship relegation places when the visit Stoke City on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 15:00 BST).

    Michael O'Neill's side were just one point above the drop zone after a 1-0 defeat to relegation rivals Oxford on 11 March but are unbeaten in the four games since (W2 D2) and are now six points ahead of Leicester in 22nd.

    The Potters - who are 12 points behind the play-off spots and 13 clear of the drop - are on course for a mid-table finish.

    • None of Stoke's previous 15 home league games against Blackburn have finished level, with the Potters winning nine and losing six.

    • Blackburn have alternated between victory (3) and defeat (3) in their past six away league games against Stoke, losing 1-0 in this exact fixture last season.

    • Stoke have won their past two home league games – the Potters haven't won three on the bounce at home since April/August 2024, while in the same season they last did so in August/September 2021 under current Blackburn boss Michael O'Neill.

    • Blackburn Rovers have kept a clean sheet in their previous three league games, last going four without conceding in November/December 2024 (a run of five).

    • Stoke City's Sorba Thomas is the only player with both 10 goals and 10 assists in the Championship this season. The last player to achieve that in a league season (excl. play-offs) under manager Mark Robins was current Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres in 2022-23 at Coventry (21 goals, 10 assists).

  13. A woman wearing a green hat and grey jumper is holding a number of small knitted hats. She is standing by a desk in a room with purple walls.

  14. A man wearing green-tined sunglasses, a black cap on backwards and a grey T-shirt is standing on a mountain. In the background is a view of rolling hills and a reservoir.

  15. Three women sitting in a row. The first has blonde hair and is wearing a light brown jacket, the second has darker hair with a fringe and is wearing a green shirt and the third has short grey hair that comes to her shoulders and is wearing glasses and a denim jacket. They are sitting in an outdoor seating area with wooden panels behind them.

  16. A group of three people standing outdoors. One is wearing a red jumper while the other two are wearing a brown coat and pink shirt and holding a piece of paper which has been styled to look like a cheque.

  17. A pedestrianised street with a large number of people walking along it. There are shops either side, with hanging baskets and bunting also visible. Some of the shops have A-boards outside of them.

  18. Jon Brady looks to his left as he walks off the field for half-time

  19. A pile of compost and garden waste is piled up in a container. There are green leaves as well as brown mulch and twigs.

  20. A young girl is looking at the camera. She is wearing a green headset which has a microphone attached. She is in a helicopter and is resting on a pillow while surrounded by medical equipment.

  21. Teenage boy playing an acoustic guitar. He is wearing a black jumper and a lanyard around his neck and has a moustache and brown hair.

  22. A group of people gathered outside the front entrance of a town hall. Some are holding placards with slogans written on. Many are holding their hands in the air.

  23. A road with orange traffic cones across it width, with a police car parked in the centre and a police officer wearing a high visibility jacket standing by the cordon. There is a brick bus shelter on the left hand side of the image and a hedgerow with trees on the right hand side.

  24. A long brown building, set back from the road, with a grey roof. There are large trees behind the building and a large concreted area for cars.