In the early part of his career Wallace was regarded as promising talent, if slightly lightweight, playing as right fullback or right defensive midfield.
[7] Rod formed a successful strike partnership with Lee Chapman,[8] but Ray made only seven appearances for the club, and spent time on loan to Swansea City and Reading.
[10] Manager Lou Macari used Wallace in a different role in 1995–96 playing him alongside Nigel Gleghorn in centre midfield.
[10] It worked well as Stoke reached the play-offs where they lost 1–0 to Leicester City and Wallace won the player of the year award jointly with goalkeeper Mark Prudhoe.
The 1997–98 season saw Stoke play at the new Britannia Stadium but results were poor and relegation to the third tier was suffered.