Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer who played as an outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing football, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards. His nicknames included "The Wizard of the Dribble" and "The Magician".
Blackpool Football Club is a professional association football club based in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. The team is competing in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system, in 2021–22, having gained promotion from League One in 2020–21.
This article concerns football records in England. Unless otherwise stated, records are taken from the Football League or Premier League. Where a different record exists for the top flight, this is also given.
Stanley Harding Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup 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.
James Christopher Armfield, was an English professional football player and manager who latterly worked as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at Blackpool, usually at right back. Between 1954 and 1971 he played 627 games in all competitions, scored six goals, and spent a decade as the club's captain. He also represented the England national team 43 times between 1959 and 1966, and captained them in 15 games. He was a member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad. After retiring from playing, Armfield managed Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United.
Ephraim Dodds was a Scottish professional footballer. He played in the 1936 FA Cup Final, and, at the time of his death was the oldest surviving player to have played in a final at Wembley Stadium.
Allan Duncan Brown was a Scottish football player and manager. Brown played as an inside forward for East Fife, Blackpool, Luton Town, Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic. He also represented Scotland, scoring six goals in 14 international appearances, and the Scottish League. Brown was player/manager of Wigan Athletic, and also managed Luton Town, Torquay United, Bury, Nottingham Forest, Southport and Blackpool.
Joseph Smith was an English professional football player and manager. He is eleventh in the list of England's top-flight goal scorers with 243 league goals to his name. He was manager of Blackpool for 23 years and guided them to victory in the 1953 FA Cup Final, the only time they have won the competition since their 1887 inception.
Henry Bedford was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. He scored 326 league goals in 485 games.
John Knight Mudie was a Scottish international footballer who played as a forward. He won seventeen caps for his country, helping the Scotland national team to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
Raymond Ogden Charnley was an English professional footballer. He was a centre forward and was one of the most prolific scorers for Blackpool, with whom he spent ten years, including all but one season in the top flight of English football.
James Hampson was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven seasons at Blackpool, where he remains record goalscorer with 252 goals in 373 games, and is still regarded as one of the best centre forwards to play for the club.
William Perry was a professional footballer. He spent thirteen seasons at Blackpool from 1949 to 1962. Born in South Africa, he played for the England national team.
George Wilfred Mee was an English professional footballer. He played as a midfielder.
The 1930–31 season was Blackpool F.C.'s 30th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing twentieth and conceding a record 125 goals. Albert Watson's equalising goal against Manchester City in the final league game of the season was dubbed a "£10,000 goal", because it was said to be worth at least that amount as it secured the club's top-flight survival and its short-term future with the guarantee of large attendances for the next twelve months.
The history of Blackpool Football Club between 1887 and 1962 covers the years from the club's foundation, via a split from another Blackpool-based club; the period of nine years before they gained membership to the Football League; their recovery after losing their League status after only three seasons; and finally their rise into Division One, which was then the top tier of English football. Aside from the League, Blackpool also appeared in three FA Cup Finals in six years, finding success in their third attempt, in 1953. The same year, the club supplied the England team with four players for an international game against Hungary.
For the 1927–28 season, Nelson Football Club played as a professional outfit in the Football League for the seventh consecutive campaign. Nelson finished last out of 22 teams in the Third Division North, with a record of 10 wins, 6 draws and 26 defeats, corresponding to a tally of 26 points. As a result, the club was forced to apply for re-election to the League at the end of the season. The application was successful, with Nelson retaining their berth in place of Durham City. Due to the departure of Percy Smith to Bury, Nelson did not have a manager installed during the entire season. The team played inconsistently throughout the campaign from the outset, losing the opening two matches before winning four consecutive games during September 1927. Nelson suffered several comprehensive defeats during the 1927–28 season, including a 1–9 defeat to Bradford City, a 0–8 loss away at Stockport County and a 1–7 reverse against Accrington Stanley. In total, the team conceded 136 goals in 42 league matches, one of the highest totals in Football League history.
