Blackpool's famous FA Cup win items to go on display

An exhibition of some of football’s finest hours – including memorabilia from Blackpool’s famous 1953 FA Cup win – goes into extra time at Blackpool Carers’ Centre next month.

Fourteen dealers from across the UK will join resort host Rob Frowen at a football programme and memorabilia fair on Sunday, February 4 at the charity’s Beaverbrooks House, Newton Drive, from 10.30am to 2pm.

Rob, who has won awards as an unpaid carer, is a fundraiser, specialist broadcaster and volunteer at the charity.

For 25 years his greatest passion has been sports memorabilia – trading under the name Fylde Coast Programmes.

His first sports auction for the charity’s annual cash quest for carers raised £1,100 to help provide respite and a champion for young carers in 2016.

Now Rob hopes to go one better with his ‘must see’ exhibition of rarely seen memorabilia from the 1953 FA Cup, when Blackpool’s two Stan’s – Matthews and Mortensen – helped the club beat Bolton Wanderers.

“It’s free admission but we’re looking for donations,” he said. “We’ll be talking through the history of these gems.

It’s unlikely you’ll see many of these items again so make the most of it.”

Rob has a West Lancashire Evening Gazette marking the team’s return in triumph and will be exhibiting a replica 1953 FA Cup Final Blackpool shirt signed by the last surviving player of the Blackpool FC winning side, Cyril Robinson.

A 1953 FA Cup final programme will also go under the hammer in a small auction of football related items – such as badges, photographs and shirts – starting at 1pm.

They will include a mint condition ticket to the 1966 World Championship Jules Rimet Cup Eighth Final at Wembley’s Empire Stadium.

“It’s an A1 condition,” adds Rob.

All proceeds will go to Blackpool Carers Centre.

Famous win

The 1953 game was known as the Matthews Final, after the man who made so much of the magic happen, but it was Morty who notched up a hat trick and Bill Perry who sealed the deal and the 4-3 triumph.