Stoke Managers - Tony Waddington
Permission for the next series of the Stoke Managers caches has been kindly provided by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. Each cache will continue the Stoke Mangers theme, while also letting you know about one of the inhabitants that may live in these woods. The trust is a great organization that does lots of great work up and down the county, all carried out by funding from the public. If you wish to put something back into the local environment, click on the following link and make a small donation.http://www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/donate
Please come armed with lots of swaps for the kids for this large box. Also, make a note in the large log book of any animals/ birds seen during your caching adventure today.
Hedgehog - Erinaceus europaeus
Hedgehogs are covered with between 5000-6500 spines. These spines are used as defense when the hedgehog feels threatened and will curl up in a tight ball to deter predators. Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, often sleeping during the day in a nest or under bushes and shrubs before coming out to feed at night. Baby hedgehogs are called hoglets. They communicate through a combination of snuffles, grunts and squeals. They have weak eyesight, but a strong sense of smell and good hearing. In the wild they live between 4-7 years. During the winter the hedgehogs hibernate to preserve energy when food is scares.It is a good idea to make hedgehog houses for our gardens, giving them a secure place to spend the winter.Hedgehogs are in decline in the UK, some more should be done to help protect them.
Hedgehogs can also be sponsored, making a great gift for a loved one. http://www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/shop/catalog/adoption-packs
Please post in your log if you see one of these animals during your caching adventure.
Tony Waddington
G764 W265 D216 L283 Win %34.69
Tony Waddington, the player, played for Crewe his whole career in the Third Division North, Tony Waddington, the manager, arguably goes down as Stokes best ever manager.
Joining the club as coach in 1952 he did well enough to be promoted to assistant manager under Frank Taylor, taking up position as manager in 1960 following Taylors sacking.
Initially tasked with stopping Stoke from slipping into the Third Division , he managed to achieve this by 3 points in 1960-61. A promotion push failed to materialize the following season, but thing were looking on the up, his initial defensive style of play had made Stoke a hard team to play, but his resigning of 46 year old Stanley Matthews got the crowds back to the Victoria ground.
In 1961-62 Waddington achieved a thrilling promotion, winning the second division title, then followed a golden age in Stokes history. With the signing of Peter Dobing and John Richie Stoke easily stayed up and in 1964 reached the League Cup Final, losing a two legged affair to Leicester City. Waddington brought to the club a whole range of quality players including world cup winners Gerorge Eastham and Gordon Banks.
In the early 70s Stoke had become one of the best sides in the country, playing an exiting brand of football, reaching the semifinal in the FA Cup two years running, losing out, UNFAIRLY, to Arsenal. It was in 1972 that stoke finally won their first ever major silverware in the league cup, with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea, with goals from Peter Osgood and Terry Conroy. Oh, how I wish we could win something again in our life time.
Waddington stayed in charge of Stoke and came close to winning the First division in the 1974-75 season, but after the roof blew off the Victoria Ground, Stoke had to sell many of the best players to cover the cost of the repair. It was this that ultimately led to Waddington quitting in March 1977, with Stoke heading for relegation.