Stoke & Staffordshire

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Watch our pick of standout clips from Stoke and Staffordshire

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  1. A queue of traffic in a lane on the M42 motorway.

  2. Graham and Stoke pass more tests with win at Derby

    View from the pressbox - Mark Elliott
    Stoke's Luke Graham celebrates his side's win at DerbyShutterstock

    Luke Graham has done nothing but improve since joining Stoke from Dundee in the summer.

    His goal at Derby was his first for the club and a brilliant moment - but his work in his own box against a hugely physical Rams side was also incredibly impressive.

    Graham wins a huge amount in the air and put in some really good blocks from the left side of the back three.

    Over the past few months he has made the move to Stoke, become a regular in the side, picked up his first cap for Scotland, put on some size and looked more and more at home in a league that provides a significant step up from the Scottish top flight.

    Graham is 22, left footed, 6ft 4ins (193cm tall) and showing immense potential as part of a collective that's growing together.

    At Derby, they passed another couple of tests as a side looking to prove they belong in the play-off conversation.

    Derby are a massive, direct, uncompromising team but they are struggling and Stoke went to the East Midlands with a small burden of expectation.

    They were also looking to respond to a first defeat in some time with a win they will hope will begin another positive run of results.

    They coped with all of the above, learned a few lessons and came away with the points which gives them 19 from their past eight games.

    That's a phenomenal return from Graham and co, particularly given they are a team that is still developing.

    After the events of last season, no Stoke fan will want to get too carried away but there is a huge amount to be optimistic about.

  3. A man and woman are standing next to each other in a green field. Neither is smiling.

  4. Ben and Meg stand outside. Ben is wearing a navy quarter zip top and checked shirt. Meg is wearing a black top and necklace.

  5. Chetwynd Bridge over the River Tame is painted red, with large stone pillars. It is a sunny day with a clear blue sky.

  6. A group of people carrying litter picking equipment and green bin bags. They are standing in what appears to be a car park at the side of a brick building.

  7. Two men, one with short brown hair and the other with short grey hair, are standing behind a pub bar. They are both holding beer taps and smiling at the camera. On the bar is a glass of beer and an old book

  8. A kingfisher sits on a branch. It has striking blue head feathers and a reddish breast

  9. A woman with long brown hair is wearing a cardigan and holding a book. She is looking at a book shelf in a library.

  10. Stoke City defender Luke Graham, in camouflage kit, smiles broadly as he is surrounded by team-mates, all celebrating his goal at Derby County.

  11. A number of staff are behind the bar in their uniform next to the owners.

  12. Staff at Rebellion Brewery cheering on the day they heard they would be taking over the reigns of the business.

  13. Three images. In the first a baby spider monkey can be seen clinging onto the back of another. In the middle supermodel Erin O'Connor wears a bright red tartan coat and in the third a ginger cat has green eyes and white fur around the front of its neck.

  14. Th crooked house pub - a slanted red brick pub with a sign outside and picnic benches

  15. Stoke building an improved culture - Robins

    Robins: 'There's so many good signs'

    Stoke City boss Mark Robins believes supporters are seeing positive signs from his team, built on an improved culture at the club.

    The Potters are eighth in the Championship table with Tuesday's 3-2 defeat by Middlesbrough ending a six-game unbeaten run.

    "There is so much to like and so much to be excited about. It's not just me saying that, you see that and the supporters are reflecting that and that's a real positive." Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

    "Even in the defeat, I thought we got stronger in it and it's about belief and having that understanding we're going to be good. We're good now but we're going to be good."

    Stoke lost their opening three games of the season, having been beaten in five of their final six matches last season but Robins thinks a summer of recruitment and hard work behind the scenes is paying off.

    "There are things the players understand have got to be habits and that's what the supporters are seeing which bodes well," he said.

    "There are so many good signs, positive signs and we've got to keep building on that.

    "The culture around the place has improved. We've got a way of doing things that is acceptable, that we want to see on a daily basis and that reflects in what we do every day and you can then do that on the football pitch."

    The Potters visit struggling Derby County on Saturday (15:00 BST).

    Listen to more Stoke City interviews and content on BBC Sounds.

  16. Google street view of a road entering a business park

  17. A man wearing a white shirt with black epaulettes and a blue lanyard is positioned against a light grey backdrop. He is turned slightly and looking at the camera and is smiling for the photograph.

  18. A man with brown hair in a beige polo shirt with a room in the background.

  19. Colin Farrell poses on a red carpet in a black tuxedo and bow tie at an awards ceremony.

  20. People standing a field watching a row of houses burn

  21. The inside of a derelict indoor market building. Damage to the ceiling is visible and greenery is growing out of the ground.

  22. Stoke still feeling confident, says defender Wilmot

    Ged Scott and Mark Elliott
    BBC Sport England

    Middlesbrough striker Will Lankshear crashes to earth at the Bet365 Stadium under the close attentions of Stoke City defender Ben WilmotShutterstock

    Stoke defender Ben Wilmot coped well with Championship top scorer Will Lankshear for most of the night against Middlesbrough

    Stoke City defender Ben Wilmot is confident the Potters can bounce straight back from suffering their first defeat in almost two months.

    After starting the season with three straight Championship losses, Mark Robins' men had responded superbly with a run of 16 points out of a possible 18.

    Middlesbrough's injury-time winner at the Bet365 Stadium on Tuesday brought that to a cruel end - but Stoke now face the Championship's current bottom two in their next three matches.

    And Wilmot says they will be motivated by the way they performed against Boro.

    "The positive is that we put in a good performance and shouldn't have lost," he told BBC Radio Stoke. "And I'm sure we'll soon get back to winning ways.

    "We're young and we're learning but we're still full of confidence. We were good value for at least a point.

    "We took our time to get into the game. They dominated the ball in the first half without creating loads, which we were fine with, but we knew we needed to get more of the ball, which we did second half.

    "It was then the little moments that cost us in the second half and that's disappointing."

    Saturday's trip to Potters old boy John Eustace's Derby is their next test, followed by home games on successive Saturdays - Bristol City, then the visit of bottom club Preston North End.

  23. A springer spaniel is licking its nose and looking at the camera. It is sat in a garden. To the right is another picture, which shows dozens of dogs on the stairs in a filthy house.

  24. A man wearing a white and navy blue striped top. He is looking at the camera. He has brown hair and a short beard.