Background
Stokes was born in Burslem, Staffordshire.
Stokes was born in Burslem, Staffordshire.
He made more than 250 appearances in the Football League playing for Burslem Portuguese Vale and Small Heath / Birmingham between 1898 and 1910. In between these two spells he spent 1901 to 1903 at Reading, and helped the club to finish second in the Southern League in the 1902-1903 season. He played in several England trials but was never selected.
He joined Burslem Portuguese Vale from local side Burslem Park in October 1898.
He became a first team regular in the 1899–1900 campaign, featuring in 32 league and 10 cup games and missing just two league games all season long, he played more matches than any other Vale player. In the 1900-1901 season he again played 32 league games, with just two absences across the whole of the season.
He signed for Southern League club Reading in the summer of 1901. The "Royals" posted a fifth-place finish in 1901-1902, before finishing as runners-up to Southampton in 1902-1903.
He then left Elm Park and returned to the Midlands and the Football League in 1903 to sign for Small Heath (later renamed Birmingham).
The Daily Express reported that Reading lose a fine back in Stokes, and his place will be hard to fill. Small Heath have secured him, and he should be of immense service to them in their First League matches. A muscular yet mobile defender, he formed an excellent full-back pairing with Jack Glover.
He went straight into the first team, and played 26 First Division and four games in 1903-1904.
He was an ever-present in the 35 game 1904-1905 season, and featured 37 times in the 1905-1906 campaign. The club changed its name to Birmingham F.C. in 1905.
In the 1907-1908 relegation season, the first full season to be played at Street Andrew"s, he made 29 appearances. He featured in 23 Second Division games in the 1908-1909 season and played 21 times in the 1909-1910 campaign.
In his seven years at the club he made 213 appearances in all competitions, before a serious knee injury forced his retirement. with Reading.