The Matthews Cup Final

What a player! My old Grandad spoke of him fondly. Incredible to think that a Blackpool player won the Ballon D'Or, let alone the FA Cup.
Am I right in saying there was links to Rangers?
 
I read years ago somewhere might even have been in one of my Rangers books that he pulled on the famous blue shirt.
It was when we were gifted the Loving cup from Stoke.
 
Think I said somewhere else we have strong historical links with loads of good clubs like stoke and arsenal, I have a stoke / rangers badge you can get at the brittania stadium, they obviously rememeber us from the pit disaster days when we sent a team to play to raise funds.
 
:)) i just posted some highlights from old rangers games i found while browsing on that very channel on youtube. Some cracking old highlights that i have never seen before.
 
My old man used to work down in Lancashire in the 50’s and would go along one week to Blackpool to see Stanley Matthews and then the following Saturday to Preston to watch Tom Finney.
Along with Jimmy Armfield. Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney probably the three greatest 'gentlemen' to grace a football field in England. Played for a pittance and got on with it. I live in Lancs and work in Preston. Roads/buildings named after Tom Finney and his good wife. Statue at the ground to him is awesome. 60yrs on never forgotten. Stanley Matthews played in top flight at 49/50. Brilliant.
 
I've seen these highlights a number of times, but good grief the goal keeping generally in those days wouldn't be out of place in an amateur, or dare I say it a ''wummins'' game.
 
Read Stanley's autobiography a few years ago (cracking read btw) and after the final whistle the Blackpool manager said: "Cometh the hour . . . cometh the Stan (and I had two of them). Matthews was such a gentleman that he was embarrassed at 1953 being referred to as "The Matthews Final" as his pal Stan Mortensen had scored a hat-trick.
 
Along with Jimmy Armfield. Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney probably the three greatest 'gentlemen' to grace a football field in England. Played for a pittance and got on with it. I live in Lancs and work in Preston. Roads/buildings named after Tom Finney and his good wife. Statue at the ground to him is awesome. 60yrs on never forgotten. Stanley Matthews played in top flight at 49/50. Brilliant.
My late father who was a pro footballer himself, played against Matthews and Finney in pre season matches. He always said Finney was the best English player he’d seen. He saw Matthews training himself. All he did was ‘sides’. 3/4 pace runs full length of pitch, walk behind the goal then repeat.
 
In the days before TV my Granda said he would go to see big games live in the cinemas. That’s how he saw the Matthews final.
I remember he told guys were standing on their seats cheering nearly wrecking the cinema when Blackpool scored their dramatic winner.
Everyone loved Stanley Matthews.
 
In the days before TV my Granda said he would go to see big games live in the cinemas. That’s how he saw the Matthews final.
I remember he told guys were standing on their seats cheering nearly wrecking the cinema when Blackpool scored their dramatic winner.
Everyone loved Stanley Matthews.
Very interesting piece of fitba' history- any idea what cinemas? I wonder if any Scottish Cup Finals were shown in this way
 
First game I saw on TV, was getting ready to go to Ibrox where the Gers were playing Dundee when a neighbour asked if I would like to watch the final on a TV they had just rented that morning. The decision tested my staunchness :) but I was glad I witnessed such a historic match.
For the record the Gers won 3-1and a 1-1 draw with QoS the following Saturday saw them winning the League on goal average from Hibs.
 
My dad used to go on a lot of training courses through his work down near Stoke. After a Scotland England International, the papers down there were full of Matthews Man of the Match type comments. My gran posted a Scottish paper down to him and there was a comment that the only time Matthews got past Sammy Cox was on the way to the dressing room at half time.
 
I love watching those old 1950's Cup Final clips. There seems an innocence there, now long gone from the game.
 
Very interesting piece of fitba' history- any idea what cinemas? I wonder if any Scottish Cup Finals were shown in this way
It’s just something I remember him telling me when I was a kid myself. And that wasn’t yesterday .
I would presume the venue itself must have been downtown Belfast. Other than that I’ll need to go to my Ouiji board :)
 
My old man used to work down in Lancashire in the 50’s and would go along one week to Blackpool to see Stanley Matthews and then the following Saturday to Preston to watch Tom Finney.
My father was there too, posted to RAF Kirkham mid way between Blackpool & Preston, 1953-54 season, & said it was a dream posting. Thought Blackpool was the better Saturday night out after the match though!
 
Many years ago my Grandfather somehow through a friend knew Stan Mortensen when we went to Blackpool Granda used to visit him and took me along
 
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