Potters seek magic touch off the bench | OneFootball

Stoke City are sitting comfortably in the Championship play-off positions — but the Potters could use a little more spark from their bench.

Mark Robins’ team remain well placed despite a 2-1 defeat to Hull last time out, and Stoke — who boast the best defensive record in the division — are also among the Championship’s most productive attacking sides.

Yet all 26 of their league goals this season have come from players in the starting XI. Remarkably, that makes Stoke the only club across the entire EFL still waiting for a substitute to score in 2025/26.

They have benefitted from a single own goal, but every one of their other Championship strikes has been produced by someone who began the game.

It’s an issue Robins will be aware of, and one that has parallels in the Premier League. Everton, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United are also without a goal from the bench this season — something for Ruben Amorim, David Moyes and Sean Dyche to consider as well.

At the opposite end of the scale are League One leaders Huddersfield Town, whose substitutes have contributed an impressive 11 goals — the highest total anywhere in the 92 this season.