The 1948 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and Blackpool at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

on 24 April 1948. United, who had not appeared in an

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. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...

for 39 years, won 4–2, with two goals from

Jack Rowley John Frederick Rowley (7 October 1918 – 28 June 1998) was an English footballer who played as a forward from the 1930s to the 1950s, mainly remembered for a 17-year spell with Manchester United. He was nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his pr ...

and one apiece from

Stan Pearson Stanley Clare Pearson (11 January 1919 – 20 February 1997) was an English footballer. Born in Salford, Lancashire, Pearson was signed by Manchester United as an amateur in December 1935 and turned professional in May 1937. His first senior ga ...

and John Anderson.

Eddie Shimwell Edmund Shimwell (27 February 1920 – 30 September 1988) was an English professional footballer. Playing career Born in Birchover,Stan Mortensen Stanley Harding 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 ha ...

scored Blackpool's goals. With his goal, Shimwell became the first full-back to score in a Wembley cup final.Matlock Town F.C. pen pics
Blackpool manager Joe Smith decided not to select Jimmy McIntosh for the final despite McIntosh having scored five goals in the five ties leading up to the final. The two sides met in a rearranged league fixture the Monday after the Wembley final. McIntosh was selected to play for Blackpool, who won 1–0 with McIntosh scoring the winner. The previous month it was announced that Blackpool would not be wearing their traditional tangerine-and-white strip due to its clashing with United's red. Instead, they wore white shirts with black shorts, but would be allowed to wear their normal socks, even though they too came under the auspices of the colour-clash ban. The FA also instructed United to wear blue shirts and white shorts, meaning both teams played in change strip. Hugh Kelly was the last surviving Blackpool player from the game when he died in March 2009 at the age of 85. The last surviving player from the game was Manchester United goalkeeper

Jack Crompton John Crompton (18 December 1921 – 4 July 2013) was an English professional footballer. Born in Hulme, Manchester, Lancashire, he was a goalkeeper for Manchester United between 1944 and 1956. He was part of the team that won the FA Cup in 1948 a ...

who died in July 2013 at the age of 91.

Match details

References

;Specific ;General *
Report and programme
{{DEFAULTSORT:1948 Fa Cup Final 1948

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. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...

Fa Cup Final 1948 Fa Cup Final 1948