Stoke City F.C. Jimmy McIlroy were all players signed in the latter stages of their careers. Matthews was awarded a knighthood for services to football in the 1965 New Year's Honours list. This was followed by his final appearance for the club against Fulham in February 1965, shortly after his 50th birthday. Gordon Banks, England's 1966 World Cup-winning goalkeeper, joined in 1967 for £52,000 from Leicester. Regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world, Banks proved to be a shrewd signing for Waddington as he helped the club maintain stability in the First Division. During the close season of 1967, Stoke City played
Peter Shilton of marriage. In March 2015, it was announced that Shilton was to marry his second wife, jazz singer Steph Hayward, the pair having got engaged in 2014. The couple were married at the Parish of St Peter and St Paul Church in West Mersea, on 10 December 2016. They run a consulting company named P&S.S.C Ltd. Shilton was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and later an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) during his playing career for services to football. In 1990, following his retirement from international football, he was awarded