Rob's whole Lot of help for resort's Carers' Centre

And that’s Rob Frowen’s lot too. One of 250 lots going under the hammer at a rather special auction next month.

Blackpool carer Rob has come up with a novel way of thanking the charity which helped him cope with the challenges of caring for his son’s health issues.

The sports memorabilia specialist has organised an auction of mostly football related rarities and finds at Blackpool Carers Centre’s new look base Beaverbrooks House, 147 Newton Drive, on September 25.

Take that record victory against the luckless Lanarossi at Bloomfield Road back in the summer of 1972 in the Anglo-Italia competition. It made up for Blackpool’s 2-1 defeat at the feet of Bologna the previous year.

Rob’s got just the ticket to cheer up disaffected Seasiders today – a 60p ticket to the match along with a whole load of other great football moments.

There’s a Stan Matthews manual too, featuring the ‘Wizard of Dribble’ in ‘demonstration’ poses, and for all of 2s 6d. Half a crown. Based on the ‘wonder wizard’s 15 years experience in first class football’. Fifteen years? Sir Stan’s playing career eventually spanned 33 years.

There’s the definitive highlight for Pool fans – a 1953 programme from the FA Cup Final, Blackpool vs Bolton, the one with Morty, Matthews, Robinson, Mudie, Perry and more. It was named the Matthews Final but it was the other Stan, Mortensen, who scored the hat trick, with Bill Perry netting the fourth goal which put Bolton a goal down and clinched the final – and even left Wanderers star striker Nat Lofthouse applauding.

There’s also players brochure from the Man Utd -Blackpool cup final in 1948 at Wembley – when Matt Busby’s side beat Joe Smith’s Seasiders 4-2.

Man City get a look in too, with a 1960 league championship programme from the match against Burnley, signed ‘Best night of my life best wishes Jim McIlroy’ from the player who helped inspire Burnley’s greatest triumph, the 2-1 victory, later having a stand named after him – and gaining the MBE.

Sports-mad Rob admits he started out just amassing stuff before he realised he’d become a ‘bit of a collector’ . He’s not prepared to ‘Frowen in the towel’ but admits it’s good to have a ‘decent clear out’ because all those programmes, autographs, posters, photos, heavyweight early Subbuteo sets and massive bound volumes of the Blackpool Gazette of old (1911 and 1916) are beginning to take over his home.

“It’s going to be hard to part with them – I’ve put reserves on some lots – but it’s for a worthy cause,” confesses Rob who’s fielded his own team in the carers’ charity’s community challenge Cash Quest for Carers which runs to the end of September.

Tangerine talisman Brett Ormerod (who has his testimonial match this weekend) turned up to sign some items of particular interest to fans of the local side in less disaffected days.

“A lot of other collectors have helped out and donated items,” said Rob. “We’ve got some really rare stuff there now – and it’s all fascinating.”

Pictures of Ormerod and Jimmy Armfield and co jostle for elbow room at the auction with David Beckham, George Best,Eric Cantona, Roger Hunt, Bobby Charlton – and also golfers, cricketers, Olympians and more.

Rob will be joined by other experts for an auction viewing day at Beaverbrooks House from 10am to 3pm on Saturday September 24 – which will include valuations of any sports memorabilia brought along. The auction proper takes place the following day, Sunday September 25 from noon.

For more information call Rob on 07896 287 588 or email [email protected] or follow @BlackpoolCarers or www.blackpoolcarers.org for regular updates. The deadline for donated items is September 3.