Stan Mortensen
Encyclopedia
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen (26 May 1921 — 22 May 1991) was an English professional footballer
, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final
(subsequently known as "The Matthews
Final"), in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final
. He was also both the first player to score for England in a FIFA World Cup
qualifying campaign and the first England player to score in the tournament proper.
-born Mortensen went to war
in 1939 as a wireless operator and overcame an injury – sustained when his RAF
bomber crashed, leaving him as the only survivor – to become one of England's best post-war players.
During the war, he scored dozens of goals before making a strange piece of history by switching teams to play for Wales
when they needed a reserve during a game against England
on 25 September 1943. Wales' Ivor Powell
was injured and had to leave the field and, as England's reserve, Mortensen took his place in the Welsh side. Wales lost 8–3, and Stanley Matthews later wrote of the game: "Nobody in the 80,000 crowd had any idea that Mortensen was going to change. When, a quarter of an hour later, the player in the red jersey returned to the field, a cheer went up from the crowd, who — not knowing the seriousness of Powell's injury — were under the impression the injured Welsh wing half
was returning. Even when "Powell" went to inside-left, the onlookers did not suspect anything unusual, as team switches are often necessary after a player has been injured. Even some of the England players did not know that Mortensen was playing on the other side, and the football reporters, whose headquarters at Wembley are at the top of the main stand, did not know of the change until after half-time."
and immediately announced himself on the scene by scoring four goals in a 10–0 win. The next year, Mortensen played all six England internationals and scored seven goals, including a hat-trick against Sweden
. He was also a member of the England team that lost 6-3 to Hungary
.
In a playing career spent mostly with Blackpool
, Mortensen scored 197 league goals in 317 games. By the end of his career, he had played twenty-five times for England and scored 23 goals.
Between 1945 and 1950, Mortensen scored in twelve consecutive rounds of the FA Cup, including the Final in 1948.
After nine years with Blackpool, Mortensen went on to play for Hull City
, Southport
, Bath City
and, after coming out of retirement, Lancaster City
. After retiring for good, he returned to Blackpool as manager between 1967 and 1969, when he was sacked. He also auctioned his football medals in order to help Blackpool through a tough spell.
Mortensen topped the First Division goalscoring charts in 1951, with 30 goals. His most famous performance occurred two years later in the FA Cup Final of 1953, when he helped Blackpool to a 4–3 win against Bolton
, after being 3–1 down, by scoring a hat-trick. Mortensen's third goal came with just a minute left in the game, and Bill Perry
's injury-time goal sealed the victory.
After joining Southport
, Mortensen announced his retirement from playing on 24 April 1958, at the age of 37. "I have been having trouble with my knee and have had several injections," he said, after deciding against renewing his contract. "Making the decision was not easy." Despite the announcement, he went on to play for two more non-League clubs over four years.
in April 2006. Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted; Mortensen is in the 1950s.
On 20 October 1983, at the Blackpool supporters' annual general meeting
, Mortensen was voted vice-president.
On 18 November 1989, Mortensen led the Blackpool team out onto the Bloomfield Road
pitch for their FA Cup
first-round tie with Bolton. Former Wanderers forward, Nat Lofthouse
, who faced Mortensen and Blackpool in the 1953 FA Cup final, led the visitors out.
Twelve days later, on 30 November, a tribute dinner for Mortensen was held at Blackpool's Savoy Hotel. Attended by many former Blackpool players, the event was arranged to honour Mortys fifty years of service to both Blackpool Football Club and the town.
3–2 on aggregate to reach the Fourth Division play-off final. A minute's silence was held before the final against Torquay United
.
On his death, it was said, "They'll probably call it the Matthews funeral," in reference to Mortensen's overshadowing by Stanley Matthews after the 1953 FA Cup Final. His funeral was held at St John's parish church, Blackpool, and he was cremated at Carleton Crematorium
in Carleton
, Lancashire
.
The month of May became associated with much of his life. During May, he: was born, signed professionally, made his England debut, won the FA Cup, and died.
In 2003, Mortensen was posthumously inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
in recognition of his talent and achievements.
On 23 August 2005, a statue of Mortensen was unveiled by his widow, Jean, and former Blackpool teammate Jimmy Armfield
in front of Bloomfield Road
's new North Stand, which now bears his name. "Of all the honours that Stan won in football, he would think this was top of the league. He was so very proud of playing for Blackpool and loved everything about the town. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him when the club or town came knocking. For him to be remembered in a statue, he would think it was the creme de la creme. A massive thank-you has to go to the generous people of Blackpool, who have dug deep to raise money for this. Stan would have been really proud."
In the film The Game of Their Lives he is portrayed by Gavin Rossdale
of Bush
fame. The BBC notes that some viewers may be amused by the fact that "Mortensen – a working-class Geordie
– [is] portrayed [in the film] as [a] sneering toff", suggesting that the American film stereotyped English players in a "wooden and cliched" manner.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 1953
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...
(subsequently known as "The 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'...
Final"), in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley 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...
. He was also both the first player to score for England in a FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifying campaign and the first England player to score in the tournament proper.
Wartime career
South ShieldsSouth Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
-born Mortensen went to war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939 as a wireless operator and overcame an injury – sustained when his RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
bomber crashed, leaving him as the only survivor – to become one of England's best post-war players.
During the war, he scored dozens of goals before making a strange piece of history by switching teams to play for Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
when they needed a reserve during a game against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
on 25 September 1943. Wales' Ivor Powell
Ivor Powell
Ivor Verdun Powell MBE is a Welsh former footballer who gained eight Welsh caps and later became a manager. He was born in Gilfach, Bargoed....
was injured and had to leave the field and, as England's reserve, Mortensen took his place in the Welsh side. Wales lost 8–3, and Stanley Matthews later wrote of the game: "Nobody in the 80,000 crowd had any idea that Mortensen was going to change. When, a quarter of an hour later, the player in the red jersey returned to the field, a cheer went up from the crowd, who — not knowing the seriousness of Powell's injury — were under the impression the injured Welsh wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
was returning. Even when "Powell" went to inside-left, the onlookers did not suspect anything unusual, as team switches are often necessary after a player has been injured. Even some of the England players did not know that Mortensen was playing on the other side, and the football reporters, whose headquarters at Wembley are at the top of the main stand, did not know of the change until after half-time."
Post-war career
On 25 May 1947, Mortensen made his full England debut against PortugalPortugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and immediately announced himself on the scene by scoring four goals in a 10–0 win. The next year, Mortensen played all six England internationals and scored seven goals, including a hat-trick against Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
. He was also a member of the England team that lost 6-3 to Hungary
England v Hungary (1953)
England v Hungary was an international football game played on November 25, 1953. The game was played between Hungary - then the world's number one ranked team, the Olympic champions and on a run of 24 unbeaten games - and England, then the world's number three ranked team, the inventors of the...
.
In a playing career spent mostly with Blackpool
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...
, Mortensen scored 197 league goals in 317 games. By the end of his career, he had played twenty-five times for England and scored 23 goals.
Between 1945 and 1950, Mortensen scored in twelve consecutive rounds of the FA Cup, including the Final in 1948.
After nine years with Blackpool, Mortensen went on to play for Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
, Bath City
Bath City F.C.
Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They play in the Conference National league after gaining promotion from the Conference South via the play-offs in May 2010...
and, after coming out of retirement, Lancaster City
Lancaster City F.C.
Lancaster City F.C. is an English football club based in Lancaster, Lancashire. The club are currently members of Northern Premier League Division One North and play at Giant Axe.-History:...
. After retiring for good, he returned to Blackpool as manager between 1967 and 1969, when he was sacked. He also auctioned his football medals in order to help Blackpool through a tough spell.
Mortensen topped the First Division goalscoring charts in 1951, with 30 goals. His most famous performance occurred two years later in the FA Cup Final of 1953, when he helped Blackpool to a 4–3 win against Bolton
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....
, after being 3–1 down, by scoring a hat-trick. Mortensen's third goal came with just a minute left in the game, and 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:...
's injury-time goal sealed the victory.
After joining Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
, Mortensen announced his retirement from playing on 24 April 1958, at the age of 37. "I have been having trouble with my knee and have had several injections," he said, after deciding against renewing his contract. "Making the decision was not easy." Despite the announcement, he went on to play for two more non-League clubs over four years.
Blackpool F.C. Hall of Fame
Mortensen was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Bloomfield Road, when it was officially opened by former Blackpool player Jimmy ArmfieldJimmy Armfield
James Christopher "Jimmy" Armfield, CBE, DL is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back...
in April 2006. Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted; Mortensen is in the 1950s.
Post-retirement
Mortensen was Blackpool manager from 1967 to 1969.On 20 October 1983, at the Blackpool supporters' annual general meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
, Mortensen was voted vice-president.
On 18 November 1989, Mortensen led the Blackpool team out onto the Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
pitch for their FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
first-round tie with Bolton. Former Wanderers forward, Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse
Nathaniel "Nat" Lofthouse, OBE was an English professional footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole career...
, who faced Mortensen and Blackpool in the 1953 FA Cup final, led the visitors out.
Twelve days later, on 30 November, a tribute dinner for Mortensen was held at Blackpool's Savoy Hotel. Attended by many former Blackpool players, the event was arranged to honour Mortys fifty years of service to both Blackpool Football Club and the town.
Death and legacy
Mortensen died four days before his 70th birthday, on 22 May 1991, the day Blackpool reached Wembley for the first time since 1953. They had beaten Scunthorpe UnitedScunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
3–2 on aggregate to reach the Fourth Division play-off final. A minute's silence was held before the final against Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
.
On his death, it was said, "They'll probably call it the Matthews funeral," in reference to Mortensen's overshadowing by Stanley Matthews after the 1953 FA Cup Final. His funeral was held at St John's parish church, Blackpool, and he was cremated at Carleton Crematorium
Carleton Crematorium
Carleton Crematorium, together with the adjacent necropolis, Carleton Cemetery, is a graveyard on Stocks Road in Carleton, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. It was opened on 18 July 1935....
in Carleton
Carleton, Lancashire
Carleton is a village on the coastal plain of the Fylde in Lancashire, England. It consists of Great Carleton, Little Carleton and Norcross and is situated close to the market town of Poulton-le-Fylde. Nearby settlements include Thornton, Bispham and Blackpool...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
The month of May became associated with much of his life. During May, he: was born, signed professionally, made his England debut, won the FA Cup, and died.
In 2003, Mortensen was posthumously inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
in recognition of his talent and achievements.
On 23 August 2005, a statue of Mortensen was unveiled by his widow, Jean, and former Blackpool teammate Jimmy Armfield
Jimmy Armfield
James Christopher "Jimmy" Armfield, CBE, DL is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back...
in front of Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
's new North Stand, which now bears his name. "Of all the honours that Stan won in football, he would think this was top of the league. He was so very proud of playing for Blackpool and loved everything about the town. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him when the club or town came knocking. For him to be remembered in a statue, he would think it was the creme de la creme. A massive thank-you has to go to the generous people of Blackpool, who have dug deep to raise money for this. Stan would have been really proud."
In the film The Game of Their Lives he is portrayed by Gavin Rossdale
Gavin Rossdale
Gavin McGregor Rossdale is an English musician, known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Bush as well as an actor. Following Bush's separation in 2002, which lasted for eight years, he was the lead singer and guitarist for Institute, and later began a solo career. He...
of Bush
Bush (band)
Bush are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1992 shortly after vocalist/guitarist Gavin Rossdale and guitarist Nigel Pulsford met in a London nightclub. Realising they shared a love for such diverse artists as the Pixies, Bob Marley, The Jesus Lizard, MC5, Nirvana, Hüsker Dü, and Big...
fame. The BBC notes that some viewers may be amused by the fact that "Mortensen – a working-class Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
– [is] portrayed [in the film] as [a] sneering toff", suggesting that the American film stereotyped English players in a "wooden and cliched" manner.