Stoke City shows depth on opening day

Stoke City win on the opening day with a late flourish powered by debutants Mubama and Donley and strong bench impact.

Stoke City shows depth on opening day and puts itself in the shop window again

Stoke City opened their Championship campaign with a 3 1 win over Derby County at the bet365 Stadium. Derby led through Carlton Morris on his debut, while Lewis Baker struck back to level the score within minutes. Divin Mubama headed home from Tatsuki Seko’s cross to give Stoke a lead, and Jamie Donley then set up Sorba Thomas for a late third as Derby chased the game.

The win comes with a sharp reminder that Stoke are building depth this summer. Substitutes Tatsuki Seko, Ash Phillips and Donley made clear contributions as the game wore on, while Mubama impressed on his full debut at only 20 years old. The club now look ahead to a cup tie with Walsall and continue their league campaign with a polished sense of momentum. Manager Mark Robins lauded the impact of his fresh signings and kept faith with Mubama for the full 90 minutes, a decision he says paid off.

The result underlines a growing reality in the second tier: success often depends on who you can bring off the bench. Stoke showed how a well balanced squad can alter a match when the tempo dips and injuries or fatigue set in. The emphasis on wide rotation in a busy start to the season could pay dividends if the club can maintain sharpness across matches and competitions.

For Stoke, the early signs are a story of ambition meeting opportunity. The transfer activity this summer signals a plan to compete beyond a single star player. If the signings continue to click and injuries stay manageable, Stoke could transform early promise into sustained pressure on the pack below the top teams while they seek to attract more players to their project.

Highlights

Momentum is built in days like these, but the season will test how deep Stoke can go.