This shirt was worn during arguably the greatest FA Cup final of all time: Blackpool’s remarkable comeback win over Bolton Wanderers in 1953.
Matthews had long been a star on these shores, but had no major silverware to show for his talents. Stan was 32 when he joined the Seasiders from Stoke City: manager Joe Smith asked if he thought he could “make it for another couple of years”. The winger ultimately spent over 14 years at Bloomfield Road.
Matthews collected two FA Cup runner-up medals, first in 1948 and again three years later. His final shot at glory came at the age of 38, but the Tangerines found themselves 3-1 behind at half-time.
In the second half, Blackpool turned it around in spectacular fashion, with Matthews at the heart of it. He laid on two assists for Stan Mortensen, the forward completing his hat-trick with just one minute of normal time remaining.
Despite Mortensen’s feat, the final would be known as the Matthews Final, such was his impact on the game.
