FA Cup Final 1953

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Saturday May 2, 1953; "The Matthews Final".

Blackpool v. Bolton Wanderers

Blackpool: G.Farm, E.Shimwell, T.Garrett, E.Fenton, H.Johnston, C.Robinson, S.Matthews, E.Taylor, S.Mortensen, J.Mudie, B.Perry.

Bolton: S.Hanson, J.Ball, R.Banks, J.Wheeler, M.Barrass, E.Bell, D.Holden, W.Moir, N.Lofthouse, H.Hassall, B.Langton.

Match Report: Most attention leading up to this cup final had centred around Blackpool’s almost mythical winger Stanley Matthews. At the age of 38 the “Wizard of Dribble” still had no winners medal to show for his years of dazzling brilliance down the right flank for both Stoke City and Blackpool. Having been a losing finalist twice in the last five years with Blackpool many people regarded this as the maestro’s last chance to get his hands on the coveted winners’ medal.

Matthews was the leader of a highly skilled, instinctive Blackpool attack whereas the robust Nat Lofthouse epitomised the more direct way in which Bolton looked to get their goals. At a time when Wembley finals were more obviously a place for the neutral there was no doubt that the general wish was for a Blackpool success.

Blackpool took the kick off and went straight onto the attack. Stanley Mortensen took possession and immediately fed Matthews out on the right for a centre that was headed behind for a corner. The Bolton defence cleared the resulting centre without alarm and Wanderers proceeded to move forward with a patient build up down their own right flank.

Having worked their way deep into Blackpool territory Doug Holden slipped his man and centred low across the edge of the Blackpool area. The ball ran through to Harold Hassall who, under pressure, sent the ball right the way back to Holden. The winger laid the ball off first time into the path of Lofthouse, moving up towards the right hand angle of the box, and his instant shot seemed to jump off the Wembley turf before slipping through the groping fingers of George Farm to nestle in the far corner.

Seventy five seconds had gone and Bolton led.

Blackpool looked to respond quickly but their early attacks lacked any real conviction and when Bolton did come forward again, some five minutes after their goal, the Blackpool defence still looked nervous. Johnny Wheeler sent a free kick from the right hand side straight at Farm and the keeper looked unconvincing as he tipped it over the bar and then Tom Garrett put his side in danger with a poor clearance that hit Holden and rebounded kindly for the winger. Holden pulled the ball back into the path of Lofthouse but the striker, unusually, wasted the chance with a scuffed shot that looped harmlessly over the bar.

The first signs that the Blackpool attack might be getting its’ act together came when Mortensen twice released Matthews with wonderful first time lay offs. The elusive winger first skipped past Ralph Banks on the outside for a centre that Mortensen was preparing to head home until Malcolm Barrass dived in to put behind for a corner and when Morty fed his partner in crime again Matthews decided to cut inside and was on the point of breaking through after exchanging passes with Ernie Taylor only for Eric Bell to rescue Bolton with a timely interception.

Blackpool’s inside left, Jackie Mudie, was looking a potential danger man in the early stages with his ability to find space and drift past challenges but his final pass was generally lacking. Having once again ridden a challenge in midfield, however, he did pick out a typical, bursting run from Mortensen but the striker tried to set up a colleague rather than shoot himself and Bell was again on hand to intercept.

It was not like the dynamic Mortensen to pass up a shooting opportunity from such a promising position and this was perhaps another example of Blackpool tension.

With just under twenty minutes gone came, possibly, the games’ pivotal moment. Blackpool attacked again but once more the Bolton defence covered back to blot out the danger. Again it was Eric Bell racing back to intercept. The incident looked innocuous and Bolton moved forward on a counter attack.

One man was left behind, however. Bell remained in a crumpled heap on the edge of his own box and when play stopped he received treatment before leaving the field for more. The wing halves’ hamsting had torn and, without substitutes, he would gamely hobble back onto the pitch but Bolton were now basically playing with ten men.

Before Bell had even returned to the action Bolton almost doubled their lead. Lofthouse got up to a long ball down the middle and Willie Moir came bursting through to accept his knock down. The Blackpool defence was immediately stretched and Moir’s quick pass had Lofthouse racing through the middle to shoot past the advancing Farm only for the ball to strike the foot of the far post.

The danger remained as Bobby Langton seized on the rebound but his low drive was blocked on the line by a combination of Blackpool defenders who were also able to smuggle the ball behind in the huge scramble that followed.

Bell then returned to take up his hobbling station on the left wing with Hassall dropping back to fill the void at left half.

There was further concern for Bolton when Langton, now operating at inside left, was then left in a heap after a harsh challenge but this was an injury that could, thankfully, be run off.

Not surprisingly Blackpool now began to take a firmer grip on the game. Mudie was close with a shot from the edge of the box and Taylor missed badly when Hanson punched weakly from another Matthews’ centre. Then Taylor created a clear chance for Bill Perry only for the winger to shoot well wide from deep inside the box.

Bolton managed one nice break but this ended with the ball having to be moved out to Bell on the left wing and his weak centre was easily cleared.

A Blackpool equaliser seemed to be coming and, ten minutes from half time, it duly arrived. Mortensen latched onto a long ball forward and immediately drove for goal. At full speed Morty weaved his way past two Bolton defenders before shooting for the far corner from the left of goal.

It was touch and go whether the ball would have crept inside the far post and it was also uncertain whether the diving Hanson might have reached the shot. In the event nobody was to find out as Hassall, racing back to cover, inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net.

This was incredibly tough on the all action Hassall who had taken to his wing half role with relish and also gave another indication that this might not be Bolton’s day.

As Blackpool continued to press it was a long ball out of defence by Hassall that suddenly had Lofthouse powering forward but his shot from an unpromising angle cleared Farm’s near post.

This seemed to encourage Bolton, however, and they quickly attacked again. Holden showed more neat footwork down the right wing before laying the ball back to the supporting Langton. His floated centre seemed harmless enough but Moir leapt in to challenge Farm as the keeper came to collect and the ball ended up in the back of the net. At first glance it looked as though neither Moir or Farm had got a touch to Langton’s centre although the Bolton man would later claim the last touch and the goal.

Captain’s prerogative, perhaps.

This goal inspired Bolton to end the half on top and pressing for a third goal. Holden’s mis-hit centre was inches away from causing Farm further embarrassment before Hassall shot low from 25 yards to provide the Blackpool keeper with an easy save.

So Bolton left the field at half time with the lead and in the ascendant but still knowing they faced another forty five minutes effectively a man short.

Half Time: Blackpool 1 Bolton Wanderers 2

There was no discernible improvement in Eric Bell’s fitness as the second half got under way and it was obvious that Bolton’s handicap would be with then until the end. Perhaps realising that their task would become more difficult the longer the game went on The Trotters came out and forced the pace at the start of the second half, seeking to extend their advantage rather than simply sit on it.

John Ball sent a good ball forward from the back which set Lofthouse charging forward but as the Blackpool defence converged his only option was to move the ball out to Bell. The invalid produced a fine first touch but could only muster a weak shot that was no trouble to Farm.

The play swung to the other end for Ernie Taylor to try a snap shot that was parried by Hanson and the Bolton defence was at full stretch to clear the rebound.

In general though Bolton were enjoying the better of the early stages of the second half. Langton found Lofthouse hovering around the angle of the penalty area and his strong drive was deflected behind.

George Farm’s hapless afternoon was then summed up as a ballboy lobbed the ball back to him as he tried to organise his defenders for the resulting corner and, unawares, the ball smacked him flush in the face.

In Bolton’s next attack it took a rugby tackle from Shimwell to halt Lofthouse’s progress as the England centre forward ploughed his way down the left hand side of the area, an offence that actually provoked round booing from the generally respectful audience. The free kick was just outside the area but Langton’s fierce cross shot came to nought as it flew over the angle at the far post.

As the hour mark approached Bolton’s enterprising start to the second half was rewarded by another goal. Holden showed lovely footwork to bemuse Garrett on the right wing before crossing deep to the far post. The only Bolton man in the vicinity was the limping Eric Bell but he was able to climb above Shimwell and plant a downward header past Farm from eight yards.

Even given the ultimate joy of scoring in an FA Cup final Bell’s body and facial expressions betrayed the agony he was feeling as he wheeled away to be congratulated by his teammates. Bolton might have been handicapped but they now had a two goal cushion with just over half an hour to play.

Blackpool needed to rouse themselves quickly if they were to save themselves and Taylor shredded the Bolton defence with a ball inside Banks that had Matthews scurrying to the byeline. Barrass came across to cover but Matthews dodged his attempted tackle with consummate ease before squaring across the six yard line towards Mortensen, totally unmarked in the centre of goal.

Unaccountably the normally lethal striker completely missed his kick but the ball travelled on to Bill Perry who had almost as good a chance but could only send his shot back across goal and wide of the far post.

Although Blackpool had failed to turn this golden chance into a goal it did spell out their most obvious way back into the game. Matthews was their provider in chief anyway and faced with a depleted defence down his side of the field he was the man to feed. The clever schemer, Ernie Taylor, was just the man to ensure that the winger remained well supplied.

Bolton were more obviously tiring now but remained sporadically dangerous. The seemingly indefatigable Hassall found Moir inside the box and Bolton’s skipper produced a lovely turn only to send his stinging drive too close to Farm who saved gratefully.

The impetus was undoubtedly with Blackpool, however, as they sought to claw back the two goal deficit. Taylor ferried the ball out right again to Matthews, just over the halfway line, and the winger decided to take Banks on for sheer pace. The winger left the full back for dead but then sent in perhaps his poorest centre of the afternoon, high and well beyond his forwards.

There seemed no danger as Hanson came to collect but, at the last moment, the keeper seemed to misjudge the flight and instead of catching flapped loosely at the ball and found it falling behind him towards the far post.

It was the kind of situation Mortensen thrived on and, quick as flash, he lunged at the ball and turned it back into goal from the acutest of angles.

With only one goal in it and just over twenty minutes to go the game was very much back on and pretty soon it was one way traffic towards the Bolton goal. The effects of carrying Bell for so long was also now beginning to tell on the other Bolton players. One after another Bolton players fell to ground in need of treatment as the scars of battle and simple fatigue began to overwhelm them.

Lofthouse had needed treatment shortly before Blackpool’s second goal and was down again soon afterwards after clashing heads with Garrett. Ralph Banks could be seen getting treatment off the pitch at the same time and would soon be down with cramp as his efforts in trying to subdue Matthews began to catch up with him. John Ball and Johnny Wheeler also took knocks which required the Bolton trainer to administer treatment on the pitch.

Moir produced one good run which brought a foul from Garrett but Wheeler’s free kick was charged down by the Blackpool wall and the Tangerine tide began to advance inexorably towards the Bolton goal.

Wheeler did well to get back and intercept another low centre from Matthews but then played a blind back pass intended for Hanson but which only found Mortensen. The Blackpool striker smashed an instant low shot towards the near post which Hanson did incredibly well to parry to safety from point blank range.

The next Blackpool effort on goal was bravely blocked by the lunging centre half, Barrass, who then also required treatment before being able to continue.

Time and again Taylor threaded balls out to Matthews which Bolton’s walking wounded were unable to intercept. Once the winger was in possession they were equally incapable of taking the ball from him but somehow they were keeping their goal intact from the centres Matthews kept putting into their goalmouth.

Hassall continued to charge all over the pitch fighting fires while the men around him walked in treacle but even he was powerless to stop Matthews getting the ball and then doing much as he pleased with it.

Several minutes injury time could now be expected but Bolton had almost reached the end of the normal ninety minutes when the referee decided to penalise them for an innocuous passage of play just outside the penalty area. Barrass had headed clear yet another Matthews centre and there seemed nothing amiss as a cluster of players looked to claim the loose ball but the referee spotted something and blew for a Blackpool free kick.

There did not appear to be too much danger as the kick was directly in line with Stan Hanson’s right hand upright. The Bolton wall was covering that side of the goal and there was little prospect of anybody being able to bend the old fashioned case ball around the obstacle.

Stan Mortensen didn’t need to. Legend has it that Morty could see a postage stamp of room for the ball to fit in, over the corner of the wall and inside the angle of the goal. Whether this was true or someone simply left a gap in the wall we will never know but it is certain that Mortensen ran up and struck a vicious, searing drive that arrowed into the top corner of Hanson’s goal in a breathtaking blur without anybody else moving.

This was the goal that really beat Bolton. Although everybody probably expected the game to go to extra time the result was inevitable. Bolton had stretched themselves beyond breaking point to carry the fight this far. It would have been physically impossible for them to survive an extra half an hour. As it transpired they were spared the torture.

Matthews went down the right again to send a centre over Hanson that bounced just wide of the post off the unsuspecting Mudie but there was still time for one last raid by the Blackpool winger.

Taylor, inevitably, provided the pass from which Matthews waltzed beyond the demoralised Banks for another low centre from the byeline which was behind Mortensen but perfect for Bill Perry, in off the other wing, to fire past Hanson and a desperate defender on the line.

Seconds later the final whistle set the seal on one of the most dramatic cup finals in history and confirmed that Matthews had finally earned his winners medal.

It did not require years to pass for this game to enter footballing folklore. Bolton’s misfortunes and heroics were as quickly forgotten as Mortensen’s, somewhat generously awarded, hat trick as the game immediately became dubbed “The Matthews Final”, a moniker that remains good to this day and which will doubtless be remembered as long as football itself.

There is no reason to quibble with the legend, Matthews had played well and been integral in Blackpool’s recovery from 3-1 down, but there is little doubt that the legend was waiting to be written that day.

Everybody was hoping for a fairy tale ending to Matthews’ quest for an FA Cup winners medal and any other factors in the outcome of that final were always likely to be conveniently placed to one side afterwards.

This is not to deny Matthews the crowning glory of his career but it is perhaps reasonable to suggest that the adulation the maestro received for this performance was as much the result of the hundreds of great performances he had given over the years and not just for this particular ninety minutes.

Looking back at the game today perhaps the most astonishing thing is that it took football over ten years to introduce substitutes, by which time several other cup finals had been hugely influenced by one team being weakened by injury. Not only was it obvious that Eric Bell’s injury made a massive difference to the outcome of this game it was simply distressing having to watch a man in such obvious pain risking more serious injury in a desperate attempt to help his team prevail.

Full Time: Blackpool 4 Bolton Wanderers 3

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