Stoke ditch ID cards

Stoke City have confirmed that they have decided to scrap the controversial away card scheme.

ID cards will not be required for Stoke’s visit to Old Trafford next month for the first time since they were introduced back in 2003. The club state that this is just a suspension of the scheme and if there is no trouble then they will consider consigning the cards to history at the end of the season.

For those fans who have cards the benefits seem few at this time. Demand for tickets is already high, with most away matches a sell-out, as fans relish the opportunity to travel to the likes of Anfield and Stamford Bridge with the Potters for the first time in a generation. Whilst we welcome the move it will only mean that demand will be even higher and so there will be very limited opportunities to purchase tickets at the last minute – one reason often given for the scrapping of the card.

With police forces reacting with distinct coolness towards today’s announcement, it’s more likely that fans will find themselves being even more heavily policed around grounds which could result in just the sort of trouble that could land us back where we started.