It's been a busy campaign for Stoke City as their Europa League commitments have seen them play over 50 games both at home and abroad.
Typically, Tony Pulis's men have been dogged and full-blooded throughout to ensure that they are once again in the Premier League next term.
Sports Mole takes a month-by-month glance at the Potters' third year in the top flight.
July
Stoke's season actually began all the way back in July as they kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 1-0 win at home to Hajduk Split in a qualifying fixture.
August
They progressed in the tournament during the first week of August thanks to a 1-0 second-leg victory in Croatia. Their Premier League campaign started soon after, with a 0-0 draw at Chelsea before draws against Norwich and Stoke gave them an unbeaten opening to the season. They booked their passage through to the group stages of the Europa League in the same month with a 5-1 aggregate victory over Swiss club FC Thun.
September
The Potters picked up their first league win of the season at the beginning of September when they recorded a 1-0 victory over Liverpool. They were also to take a point from Manchester United, but a heavy 4-0 loss at Sunderland proved to be something of a reality check for Tony Pulis's men. Their Europa League commitments continued with a draw at Dynamo Kiev and a 2-1 win over Besiktas, and there was also a dramatic penalty shootout triumph over Spurs in the third round of the Carling Cup.
October
A 3-0 win over Maccabi Tel-Aviv saw the team's Europa League campaign gain momentum, but they were suffering domestically as defeats to Swansea, Arsenal and Newcastle signalled a disappointing October.
November
There was further joy in Europe with a 2-1 win in Israel, but Pulis's side were subjected to a 5-0 hammering at Bolton as they continued to struggle on home soil. There was yet more league misery courtesy of a entertaining 3-2 loss at home to QPR, while the month ended with a comfortable win over Blackburn.
December
During a busy Christmas period, Stoke earned 11 points out of a possible 18 in the league with wins against Everton and Spurs being the highlights. There was also a draw against Dynamo Kiev and a defeat at Besiktas in the Europa League as Stoke booked their place in the knockout rounds.
January
The new year started positively with a win at struggling Blackburn and an FA Cup victory at Gillingham. The Stoke faithful were dreaming of a second trip to Wembley in two years later that month after a victory over Derby. Unfortunately their indifferent league form continued as they slumped to defeats against West Brom and Manchester United.
February
After three league losses during February, the side picked up their first win of the month in the last game against Swansea. The Potters were handed a tough draw in the Europa League against Spanish giants Valencia, and they struggled in both legs as they were knocked out 2-0 on aggregate. Meanwhile, their FA Cup run was still going strong as they saw off the potential banana skin of League Two Crawley to reach the quarter-finals.
March
Although they no longer had the Europa League to consider, Stoke endured a difficult spell in March as they suffered three defeats out of six. The month will be most remembered for Peter Crouch's wondergoal in a surprise 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Britannia. The spectacular looping volley will surely be amongst the goals of the season.
April
There was an improvement in the penultimate month of the campaign courtesy of a win against Wolves and draws against Aston Villa and Arsenal. However, their inconsistencies at the back were exposed midway through the month with a 3-0 loss at Newcastle.
May
Stoke had a part to play in the season's relegation battle with their fixtures in the final few weeks. Following a draw with Everton, QPR picked up a valuable three points against Pulis's side at Loftus Road before a 2-2 draw with Bolton on the final day condemned the Trotters to life in the Championship.
Jack Prescott
