FA Cup Final 1953
Encyclopedia
The 1953 FA Cup Final, also known as the Matthews Final, was the eighth to be held at Wembley Stadium after the Second World War. The football match was contested between Blackpool
and Bolton Wanderers
, with Blackpool winning 4-3. The match became famous for the performance of Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews
, after whom it was nicknamed. It remains the only Wembley FA Cup Final to feature a hat-trick, scored by Blackpool's Stan Mortensen
. (Prior to the Wembley era, William Townley in 1890 and James Logan in 1894 achieved the same feat for Blackburn Rovers and Notts County respectively.) Blackpool were making their third FA Cup appearance in six years having been losing finalists twice, in 1948
and 1951
.
It was the first football match attended by the reigning monarch, Elizabeth II, who would be crowned Queen at her coronation a month later. In February 2010 the boots worn by Matthews in the match were auctioned at Bonhams
in Chester
for £38,400, to an undisclosed buyer.
scored three goals for Blackpool on the day, becoming the only player ever to have scored an FA Cup Final
hat-trick at the original Wembley Stadium. Bill Perry
scored the winning goal. Nat Lofthouse
, who scored Bolton's first goal, scored in every round of that year's FA Cup.
Bolton took the lead after just 75 seconds with a Nat Lofthouse shot. Mortensen equalised after 35 minutes with a deflected "cross-shot". Five minutes later, Bolton took the lead again when Bobby Langton
lobbed Blackpool's goalkeeper George Farm
and Bolton went in at half-time 2-1 ahead. Ten minutes into the second half, Eric Bell
, playing through injury with a torn hamstring, put Bolton further ahead, a lead they kept for 13 minutes. Then came the turnaround for which the match has become famous, when Matthews proved to be the inspiration for a Blackpool comeback. His cross from the right wing, with 22 minutes remaining, was met by Mortensen who netted his and Blackpool's second goal. Then, with less than two minutes remaining, Mortensen completed his hat-trick and Blackpool's comeback to equalise directly from a free-kick. Then, with just seconds remaining, Matthews again crossed from the right wing. His cross, which passed just behind Mortensen, was met by Bill Perry
, whose shot made the score 4-3 and won the match for the Seasiders. Even Nat Lofthouse, in defeat, is said to have stood and applauded.
Cyril Robinson is the only member of the winning side still living, while six of the defeated Bolton players are still alive.
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BOLTON WANDERERS:
|
GK
1
England Stan Hanson
RB
2
England John Ball
LB
3
England Ralph Banks
RH
4
England Johnny Wheeler
CH
5
England Malcolm Barrass
LH
6
England Eric Bell
OR
7
England Doug Holden
IR
8
Scotland Willie Moir
(c)
CF
9
England Nat Lofthouse
IL
10
England Harold Hassall
OL
11
England Bobby Langton
Manager:
England Bill Ridding
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
and Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, with Blackpool winning 4-3. The match became famous for the performance of Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
, after whom it was nicknamed. It remains the only Wembley FA Cup Final to feature a hat-trick, scored by Blackpool's Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
. (Prior to the Wembley era, William Townley in 1890 and James Logan in 1894 achieved the same feat for Blackburn Rovers and Notts County respectively.) Blackpool were making their third FA Cup appearance in six years having been losing finalists twice, in 1948
1948 FA Cup Final
The 1948 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and Blackpool at Wembley Stadium on 24 April 1948. United, who had not appeared in an FA Cup Final for 39 years, won 4–2, with two goals from Jack Rowley and one apiece from Stan Pearson and John Anderson. Eddie Shimwell and Stan Mortensen...
and 1951
1951 FA Cup Final
The 1951 FA Cup Final was contested by Newcastle United and Blackpool at Wembley on 28 April 1951. Newcastle won 2–0, with both goals scored by Jackie Milburn....
.
It was the first football match attended by the reigning monarch, Elizabeth II, who would be crowned Queen at her coronation a month later. In February 2010 the boots worn by Matthews in the match were auctioned at Bonhams
Bonhams
Bonhams is a privately owned British auction house founded in 1793. It is the third largest auctioneer after Sotheby's and Christie's, and conducts around 700 auctions per year. It has 700 employees....
in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
for £38,400, to an undisclosed buyer.
Match summary
Matthews inspired his team to come from 3–1 down against Bolton Wanderers, to win 4–3, and on a personal note, he claimed the trophy that had eluded him in two previous finals. Despite the final being more famous for the heroics of Matthews, Stan MortensenStan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
scored three goals for Blackpool on the day, becoming the only player ever to have scored an FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
hat-trick at the original Wembley Stadium. Bill Perry
Bill Perry (footballer)
William "Bill" Perry was a South African-born English professional footballer. He spent thirteen seasons at Blackpool during the 1950s and 1960s.-Club career:...
scored the winning goal. Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse
Nathaniel "Nat" Lofthouse, OBE was an English professional footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole career...
, who scored Bolton's first goal, scored in every round of that year's FA Cup.
Bolton took the lead after just 75 seconds with a Nat Lofthouse shot. Mortensen equalised after 35 minutes with a deflected "cross-shot". Five minutes later, Bolton took the lead again when Bobby Langton
Bobby Langton
Robert "Bobby" Langton was an English footballer who played for the majority of his career for Lancashire clubs. He played mostly on the left wing.-Playing career:...
lobbed Blackpool's goalkeeper George Farm
George Farm
George Neil Farm was a Scottish professional football goalkeeper and manager.Born in Slateford, a suburb of Edinburgh, Farm represented his country on ten occasions, the last three of which occurred after a gap of five years....
and Bolton went in at half-time 2-1 ahead. Ten minutes into the second half, Eric Bell
Eric Bell (footballer)
Eric Bell is an English-born former football wing half who played in the 1950s. He only played for one club, Bolton Wanderers, for the whole of his senior career, and made over 100 Football League appearances for them....
, playing through injury with a torn hamstring, put Bolton further ahead, a lead they kept for 13 minutes. Then came the turnaround for which the match has become famous, when Matthews proved to be the inspiration for a Blackpool comeback. His cross from the right wing, with 22 minutes remaining, was met by Mortensen who netted his and Blackpool's second goal. Then, with less than two minutes remaining, Mortensen completed his hat-trick and Blackpool's comeback to equalise directly from a free-kick. Then, with just seconds remaining, Matthews again crossed from the right wing. His cross, which passed just behind Mortensen, was met by Bill Perry
Bill Perry (footballer)
William "Bill" Perry was a South African-born English professional footballer. He spent thirteen seasons at Blackpool during the 1950s and 1960s.-Club career:...
, whose shot made the score 4-3 and won the match for the Seasiders. Even Nat Lofthouse, in defeat, is said to have stood and applauded.
Cyril Robinson is the only member of the winning side still living, while six of the defeated Bolton players are still alive.
Match details
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | BLACKPOOL: | ||
| GK | 1 | Scotland George Farm George Farm George Neil Farm was a Scottish professional football goalkeeper and manager.Born in Slateford, a suburb of Edinburgh, Farm represented his country on ten occasions, the last three of which occurred after a gap of five years.... |
|
| RB | 2 | England Eddie Shimwell Eddie Shimwell Edmund "Eddie" Shimwell was an English professional footballer.-Playing career:Born in Birchover, Derbyshire, Shimwell was a trainee with Sheffield United in 1939, but failed to break into the first team before the outbreak of World War II... |
|
| LB | 3 | England Tommy Garrett Tommy Garrett Thomas "Tommy" Garrett was an English professional footballer. He represented his country on three occasions.... |
|
| RH | 4 | Scotland Ewan Fenton Ewan Fenton Alexander Ewan Fenton, more commonly known as Ewan Fenton was a Scottish professional footballer. He spent thirteen seasons at Blackpool, with whom he was victorious in the famous FA Cup Final of 1953.-Playing career:... |
|
| CH | 5 | England Harry Johnston Harry Johnston (footballer) Henry "Harry" Johnston was an English footballer. He was the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1951. He spent his entire professional playing career with Blackpool, with whom he appeared in three FA Cup Finals... (c) |
|
| LH | 6 | England Cyril Robinson Cyril Robinson Cyril Robinson is an English former professional footballer.Robinson's professional career was relatively short, spanning just a decade, four years of which was spent at Blackpool. He was part of the Seasiders team that won the FA Cup in 1953... |
|
| OR | 7 | England Stanley Matthews Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'... |
|
| IR | 8 | England Ernie Taylor |
|
| CF | 9 | England Stan Mortensen Stan Mortensen Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final... |
|
| IL | 10 | Scotland Jackie Mudie Jackie Mudie John "Jackie" Knight Mudie was a Scottish international footballer who played as a forward. He won seventeen caps for his country, helping the Scots to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup.... |
|
| OL | 11 | England Bill Perry Bill Perry (footballer) William "Bill" Perry was a South African-born English professional footballer. He spent thirteen seasons at Blackpool during the 1950s and 1960s.-Club career:... |
|
| Manager: | |||
| England Joe Smith |
|||
England Stan HansonStan Hanson
Stan Hanson was an English footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole professional career....
England John Ball England Ralph Banks England Johnny WheelerJohnny Wheeler
Johnny Wheeler is an ex-professional footballer.-Life and playing career:Born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, Wheeler played for Carlton, as an amateur, and Tranmere Rovers before he made the move to Burnden Park in 1950....
England Malcolm BarrassMalcolm Barrass
Malcolm Williamson Barrass is an English former professional footballer.His father, Matthew, was also a professional footballer...
England Eric BellEric Bell (footballer)
Eric Bell is an English-born former football wing half who played in the 1950s. He only played for one club, Bolton Wanderers, for the whole of his senior career, and made over 100 Football League appearances for them....
England Doug HoldenDoug Holden
Doug Holden is a former English professional footballer who played as a winger.-Football career:Holden began his professional playing career with Bolton Wanderers in 1951...
Scotland Willie MoirWillie Moir
William Moir, , better known as Willie Moir, was a Scottish footballer who played for the majority of his career at Bolton Wanderers. He played mostly as an inside-right....
(c)
England Nat LofthouseNat Lofthouse
Nathaniel "Nat" Lofthouse, OBE was an English professional footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole career...
England Harold HassallHarold Hassall
Harold William Hassall is a former professional footballer, who played as a forward for Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers in the 1940s and 1950s....
England Bobby LangtonBobby Langton
Robert "Bobby" Langton was an English footballer who played for the majority of his career for Lancashire clubs. He played mostly on the left wing.-Playing career:...
England Bill RiddingBill Ridding
-External links:...
Road to Wembley
- Third round
- Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
1 Blackpool 2 - Bolton Wanderers 4 FulhamFulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
1
- Sheffield Wednesday
- Fourth round
- Blackpool 1 Huddersfield TownHuddersfield Town F.C.Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
0 - Bolton Wanderers 1 Notts CountyNotts County F.C.Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
1 – Replay 2-2, 2nd replay 1-0
- Blackpool 1 Huddersfield Town
- Fifth round
- Blackpool 1 SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
1 – Replay 2-1 - Luton TownLuton Town F.C.Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
0 Bolton Wanderers 1
- Blackpool 1 Southampton
- Sixth round
- ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
1 Blackpool 2 - GatesheadGateshead F.C.Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.Ian Bogie is the current manager....
0 Bolton Wanderers 1
- Arsenal
- Semi-final
- Blackpool 2 Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
1 - Bolton Wanderers 4 EvertonEverton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
3
- Blackpool 2 Tottenham Hotspur
External links
- 1953 FA Cup Final (Matthews Final) Match Report at RetroFootball.co.uk