Stoke & Staffordshire

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Watch our pick of standout clips from Stoke and Staffordshire

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  3. Jazmin Sawyers is sideways on to the camera as she kisses her medal, in her right hand. She has tied-back black frizzy hair and is wearing a white team top.

  4. A woman with long blonde hair, tied back with a black bandana and in a pony tail which is draped over her left shoulder, smiles as she stands in a room, in front of a white wall which says Staffordshire Sight Loss. She is wearing a black shirt which says the charity's name and has the logo next to it.

  5. 'No-one wants club to be in this position' - Robins

    Chris Harby
    BBC Sport, West Midlands

    Mark Robins looks to his right with mouth openShutterstock

    Mark Robins is Stoke's seventh permanent manager in eight seasons

    Stoke City boss Mark Robins says the club is looking to further improve the squad as it looks to end a run of disappointing seasons.

    Since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, the Potters have failed to challenge for promotion, with a highest finish of 14th in eight subsequent campaigns.

    Robins' side made a good start to last season, but a run of injuries and poor form saw them finish in 17th.

    In June, the club's sporting director, Jonathan Walters, dismissed speculation over Robins' future, but the manager knows patience is wearing thin over the club's predicament.

    "I want to improve it [the squad], we all want to improve it as quickly as possible, as much as possible, and do as much as we possibly can do to do it," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

    "I think players have had opportunity. There's been too much time and too many years that the club has been in the position that it's been in and nobody wants that to continue, so get on board."

    Yet Robins was pleased with his side's display in their final pre-season test on Saturday - a 1-1 draw with Valencia which followed a win over Everton.

    "I think you can see there's a good togetherness but also a good team that's being built," he said.

    "If they work like that then they've got a good chance because we've got some players with a threat."

  6. A group of people are sitting indoors in a pub, looking at a screen in the corner of the room. There is a bar to the right hand side of the image. The group is viewed from behind, with people looking towards the screen at the front of the photo.

  7. A profile-style image of Dr Jawad Ahmad - a man with shot black hair and wearing a dark shirt. He is standing in front of a grey background.

  8. 🎧 'Once the tempo improves, the play improves'

    BBC Radio Stoke's Mark Elliott is joined by former Stoke City defender Ian Cranson to reflect on the Potters' 1-1 home draw with Valencia in their final pre-season friendly.

    Listen to the full analysis below or on BBC Sounds here

    ‘Once the tempo improves, the play improves’

    Explore more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds

    Listen on BBC Sounds

  9. A brook viewed from the shore. It is surrounded by plants, grass and trees.

  10. A generic photo of about half a dozen people on a bus. Their backs are to the camera, most people are sitting down, but one is standing up holding one of the static yellow poles on the bus.

  11. A man with a blue denim hat on is smiling and wearing a khaki green shirt. He is standing in front of a road with a war memorial on the adjacent pavement with poppy wreaths at its base

  12. A close-up of a brown donkey grazing on some grass, with gold sports socks on, with a black wolf logo on it

  13. A close up image of the digger's cabin showing scratch marks and wires that have been pulled out.

  14. Three men wearing work clothes and navy T-shirts stand with their backs to the camera looking at a large sign reading "Robin Hood". One of the O's is a target with arrows in, and there are oak leaves around the words.

  15. A black and white photo of a dad holding up his son so he can touch a water fountain at Malvern Park in Solihull, in 1976.

  16. A close-up on a sunflower, showing its yellow petals, in front of a fields full of them, under a sky of black clouds.

  17. The side of a fire engine with red and green/yellow rectangles in a pattern and "fire and rescue" written on the side.

  18. A teenage boy with dirty blonde hair is wearing a khaki green t-shirt, black gloves and a black apron. He is holding a utensil that is getting a pizza out of a wood-fired pizza oven in a small trailer

  19. A fire engine is parked on the road next to a scorched area of heath, as a firefighter sprays water on it. There are trees in the background.

  20. Two people stand in shallow water inside a canal lock wearing white safety helmets. One is in a blue T-shirt and chest waders, the other in a yellow high-visibility jacket. The lock's wooden gates and blackened brick walls rise steeply on either side.

  21. A composite image featuring a couple on the left, a dog running on a field and on the right a man in a green sweatshirt holding a tray of strawberries in punnets

  22. Port Vale sign defenders McGowan and Montsma

    Aaron McGowan warms up before a match for Tranmere Rovers. He is wearing a navy blue sweat top with the club's badge.Shutterstock

    Aaron McGowan started his career with Morecambe before spells at Hamilton Academical, Kilmarnock, Northampton Town and Tranmere Rovers

    Port Vale have continued their recruitment drive before the start of the new season with the signings of defenders Aaron McGowan and Lewis Montsma on one-year deals.

    McGowan, 30, has been on trial at Vale Park following the end of his contract with Tranmere Rovers this summer.

    He played under Vale boss Jon Brady at Northampton Town and helped the Cobblers win promotion to League One in the 2022-23 season.

    Dutchman Montsma joins Vale following the expiration of his contract with Dundee this summer.

    The 28-year-old started his senior career with Dordrecht in the Netherlands and moved to Lincoln City in July 2020.

    He made 108 appearances for the Imps, scoring 11 goals, before joining Dundee on a six-month deal in February.

  23. Three footballers in green shirts and two in yellow shirts are on a pitch with little green grass at this angle. A building in the background includes the words Wolverhampton Casuals on a sign.

  24. Mo Faal watches the action during a match for Wrexham. He is wearing a black and grey away shirt.

  25. Watch Brady's Vale preview with BBC Radio Stoke

    Port Vale manager Jon Brady discusses the new League Two season

    Port Vale boss Jon Brady joined BBC Radio Stoke's Valiants reporter Phil Bowers in the studio on Thursday evening to look ahead to the new League Two season.

    In an hour-long special, Brady reflected on last term's relegation from League One, new signings and hopes for 2026-27.

    If you missed any of it, you can watch it all by clicking the play button above.