With the sale of both Lee Dixon and Steve Bould to Arsenal manager Mick Mills was able to enter the transfer market where he bought Peter Beagrie and Chris Kamara. The hope now would be that Stoke could mount a serious promotion challenge but again results were far too inconsistent and Stoke ended the season in mid-table for a third straight season.

During the summer of 1988 Phil Heath moved to Oxford United for £80,000 and that, combined with the fee received for Lee Dixon and Steve Bould, allowed manager Mills to bring in some new faces. He brought to the club Peter Beagrie signed from Sheffield United for £215,000 and midfielder Chris Kamara from Swindon Town as well as veteran John Gidman. Stoke started the 1988–89 season with a 1–1 draw at home to Ipswich Town and it took until their seventh match against Walsall to claim their first victory of the season. By this time two defenders Mark Higgins and John Butler had been added to the ranks and with Stoke's back line more secure results started to improve and after a 4–0 win against Hull City in mid-November Stoke lay in 7th position.

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