Editing Geoff Hurst (section)

===Stoke City===
Hurst was sold to [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] for a £80,000 fee in August 1972.<ref name=whustats>{{cite web |title=Welcome to the Wonderful World of West Ham United Statistics Geoff Hurst |url=http://www.westhamstats.info/westham.php?west=2&ham=345&united=Geoff_Hurst |access-date=24 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019094706/http://www.westhamstats.info/westham.php?west=2&ham=345&united=Geoff_Hurst |archive-date=19 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City">{{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Tony |title=The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City |year=1994 |publisher=Lion Press |isbn=0-9524151-0-0}}</ref> He was struck down with [[pneumonia]] early in 1973 and went to South Africa to recover, playing on loan for [[Roy Bailey (footballer, born 1932)|Roy Bailey]]'s [[Cape Town City F.C. (NFL)|Cape Town City]].<ref>{{harvnb|Hurst|Hart|2002|p=242}}</ref> He missed just four games for Stoke and upon his return he helped the side to maintain their [[Football League First Division|First Division]] status.<ref>{{harvnb|Hurst|Hart|2002|p=243}}</ref>

In January 1974, "Potters" manager [[Tony Waddington]] asked Hurst to take in new signing [[Alan Hudson]] as a lodger so as to provide the talented but troubled midfielder with a stable home during his Stoke career.<ref>{{harvnb|Hurst|Hart|2002|p=239}}</ref> Hudson adapted well to life in the Hurst household and Stoke recorded a fifth place in the [[1973–74 Stoke City F.C. season|1973–74]] season&nbsp;– a career high for Hurst.<ref>{{harvnb|Hurst|Hart|2002|p=246}}</ref>

Hurst scored 11 goals in 41 games in the [[1974–75 Stoke City F.C. season|1974–75]] season and helped Stoke to finish in fifth place, just four points behind champions [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Matthews |first=Tony |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/655632001 |title=The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City Football Club, 1868 to 1994, Compiled by Tony Matthews : Ill |date=1994 |publisher=Stoke City f.c |isbn=0952415100 |location=[Place of publication not identified] |oclc=655632001}}</ref>