England Football Online
Players Index Page Last Updated
21 August 2022
 
 
Stan Matthews Stoke City FC, Blackpool FC

54 appearances, 10 goals

P 54 W 32 D 8 L 14 F 158: A 83
67% successful

1934-57

captain: none
minutes played:
4890
Timeline
  Sir Stanley Matthews CBE
Birth 1 February 1915 at 63 Seymour Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire [registered in Stoke-upon-Trent, March 1915]. Third of four sons to John William, a hairdresser, and Ada Hewitt.
Attended Wellington Road School, Hanley.
 

According to the 1911 census, John and Ada Matthews are married with two sons, John and Arthur, living at 48 Trinity Street in Hanley. John is a hairdresser.

First marriage to Elizabeth Vallance (b.17 September 1912), at Bonnytown Golf Club, in Glasgow, Lanarkshire [registered in June 1934], divorcing in 1967
  According to the 1939 register, Stanley is now married to Elizabeth, and are living at 4 Rowan Avenue in Stoke-upon-Trent. He is listed as being an assistant inspector at the local Brass Foundary.
According to Passenger Lists, Stan Matthews was one of numerous professional footballers (The FA Tourists of Canada) leaving the port of Liverpool on 9 May 1950, bound for Montréal, Québec on board the Empress of Scotland. Matthews did not make the return journey on 30 June, as he was summoned to Brazil. His address at this time was the Romford Hotel, on the New South Promenade in Blackpool.
Second marriage to Mila Winters, in Malta, 1968.
Death 23 February 2000 in Hanley, aged 85 years 22 days [registered in Newcastle-under-Lyme, February 2000]. Cremation was in Stoke, 3 March. His ashes are buried beneath the centre-circle at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium.
Source Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &
Biographies The Way it Was - Stanley Matthews & Les Scott (Headline, 2000)
  x. - A Football Compendium, Peter J. Seddon (1999).
Club Career
Started playing football with his school team, as well as Hanley Schools, which got him noticed by the England Schoolboy selectors. He joined the groundstaff at Stoke City AFC as a fifteen year-old in 1930, despite interest from top clubs, including West Bromwich Albion FC, Wolverhampton Wanderes FC, Aston Villa FC and Birmingham FC. He became an amateur football for Stoke in September of the same year. He turned out for St. Peter's (Stoke) FC also, before he signed professional forms with Stoke on 1 February 1932. But not before Evrton FC attempted to sign the starlet. Then there was continued interest and financial incentives from the previously mentioned clubs as well as Leicester City FC, Bolton Wanderers FC, Huddersfield Town AFC and Newcastle United FC.
Undeterred by the outbreak of war, Matthews played for Rangers FC in March 1940 (also in June 1941) and Aidrieonians FC the following month (they also attempted to sign him in March 1941) and Wrexham AFC in the December. Nottingham Forest FC played Matthews in February 1941, and then Blackpool FC for the 1941-42 season, and Stoke City FC the following seasons, as well as Greenock Morton in March 1943. He guested for Arsenal FC in January 1945, and in another match against Dynamo Moscow FC, in November that year. Throughout the war, he represented the RAF.
After 259 league appearances, in which he scored 51 goals, and following very public falling-outs with his manager, Bob McGrory, Matthews joined Blackpool FC, whom he had trained with for numerous years, in a permanent deal on 10 May 1947 for a £11,500 fee. Another 379 league matches followed and seventeen goals were scored. He spent the summer of 1961 playing for Toronto City FC in Canada. He returned to Stoke City AFC on 18 October 1961, when his hometown club paid £3500 for the forty-six year old. He made the signing in front of the BBC Sportsview camaras. He still made another 59 league appearances and three goals. He retired from league football in 1965, at the glorious age of fifty!
Club honours Football League Division Two winners 1932-33, 1962-63; FA Cup runners-up 1947-48, 1950-51, winners 1952-53; Football League runners-up 1955-56;
Individual honours Football League (13 appearances, two goals);
FWA
Footballer of the Year winner 1947-48, 1962-63, third 1954-55, fifth 1956-57;
Ballon d'Or winner 1956 (by three votes), =seventeenth 1957;
Distinctions Appeared on BBC's This Is Your Life 12 February 1956, the second 'victim' of the long-running programme; The only player to receive a knighthood for his services to football in 1965, as well as being the first, in 1957, to receive the CBE. Received an honorary degree at Keele University in June 1987.
Height/Weight 5' 9", 11st. 0lbs [1937], 5' 10", 11st. 8lbs [1949].
Source Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].
Management Career
Club(s) After eventually retiring from playing, Matthews became the general manager for the Stoke rival club, Port Vale FC, from July 1965 until July 1968, and thereafter as an advisor. He set up in Malta after his second marriage and he coached the Maltese side, Hibernian FC in April 1970. He then took his coaching skills into South Africa and the Soweto from 1974-76.
England Career
Player number One of six who became the 600th players (603) to appear for England.
Position(s) Outside-right
First match No. 194, 29 September 1934, Wales 0 England 4, a British Championship match at Ninian Park, Sloper Road, Cardiff, aged 19 years 240 days.
Last match No. 313, 15 May 1957, Denmark 1 England 4, a World Cup qualification match at Idrætsparken, København, aged 42 years 103 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 1950, 1954;
British Championship 1934-35, 1936-37, 1937-38, 1938-39, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1950-51, 1953-54, 1954-55, 1955-56, 1956-57;
Team honours British Championship shared 1934-35, 1938-39, 1955-56; winners 1937-38, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1953-54, 1954-55, 1956-57;
Individual honours England Schoolboy (one appearance, 1929). England war-time (29 appearances, two goals), Great Britain (two appearances).
England's Top Goalscorer 1937-38 (5);
Distinctions He was the youngest player to score on his debut, 19 years, 240 days (breaking Nevil Cobbold's 57-year old record), a record he held for four years.
Also became the oldest goalscorer at 41 years and 248 days, in October 1956.
The oldest player to appear for England, at 42 years and 103 days.
Died 25 days after George Eastham and 24 days after Bert Sproston.
notes What was deemed to be his tenth England goal, in October 1948, was actually a Billy Smyth own goal. Hence, Matthews has ten goals, not eleven.
Beyond England
Had lived in Malta and Canada since 1969, until he returned to Stoke in 1989. He spent his summers in the late fifties and early sixties in South Africa, coaching. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.169/70.
 
The Numbers
parties Apps comp. apps minutes goals ave.min comp. goals
53 54 30 4890 10 489 min 5 postwar 25 none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
54 32 8 14 158 83 +75 5 14 2.926 1.537 66.7 +18

Venue Record

Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 26 18 3 4 85 40 +45 1 7 3.269 1.538 75.0 +14
Away 25 13 4 8 67 34 +33 3 7 2.68 1.36 60.0 +5
Neutral 3 0 1 2 6 9 -3 1 0 2.00 3.00 16.7 -2
 
Shirt Record

Colour P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
White 52 30 8 14 152 82 +70 5 13 2.923 1.577 65.4 +16
Blue 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 0 1 3.00 0.00 100.0 +1
Red 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 0 0 3.00 1.00 100.0 +2
 
Competition Record

Competition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCP 4 4 0 0 17 5 +12 0 0 4.25 1.25 100.0 +4
WCF 3 0 1 2 7 8 -1 1 0 2.333 2.667 16.7 -2
World Cup 7 4 1 2 24 13 +11 1 0 3.429 1.857 64.3 +2
British Championship 24 15 3 6 62 32 +30 1 6 2.583 1.333 68.8 +9
The 1953-54 records of the World Cup preliminaries and British Championship are duplicated, and one set is deducted from the grand total.
Friendly 24 14 4 6 76 38 +38 3 8 3.167 1.583 66.7 +8
 
Tournament Record
 

World Cup Preliminary Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCP/BC 1953-54 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 0 0 3.00 1.00 100.0 +1
WCP 1956-58 3 3 0 0 14 4 +10 0 0 4.667 1.333 100.0 +3
WCP All 4 4 0 0 17 5 +12 0 0 4.25 1.25 100.0 +4
World Cup Final Tournaments
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCF 1950 1 0 0 1 1 0 -1 1 0 0.00 1.00 0.00 -1
WCF 1954 2 0 1 1 6 8 -2 0 0 3.00 4.00 25.0 -1
WCF All 3 0 1 2 7 8 -1 1 0 2.333 2.667 16.7 -2
World Cup
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 1948-50 1 0 0 1 1 0 -1 1 0 0.00 1.00 0.00 -1
WC/BC 1952-54 3 1 1 1 9 9 =0 0 0 3.00 3.00 50.0 =0
WC 1956-58 3 3 0 0 14 4 +10 0 0 4.667 1.333 100.0 +3
WC All 7 4 1 2 24 13 +11 1 0 3.429 1.857 64.3 +2

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1934-35 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC 1936-37 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 0 0 1.00 3.00 0.00 -1
BC 1937-38 2 1 0 1 2 2 =0 1 0 1.00 1.00 50.0 =0
BC 1938-39 3 2 0 1 11 5 +6 0 1 3.67 1.667 66.7 +1
BC 1946-47 1 0 1 0 1 1 =0 0 0 1.00 1.00 50.0 =0
BC 1947-48 3 2 1 0 7 2 +5 0 2 2.333 0.667 83.3 +2
BC 1948-49 3 2 0 1 8 5 +3 0 1 2.667 1.667 66.7 +1
BC 1950-51 2 1 0 1 6 4 +2 0 0 3.00 2.00 50.0 =0
BC/WCP 1953-54 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 0 0 3.00 1.00 100.0 +1
BC 1954-55 3 3 0 0 12 4 +8 0 1 4.00 1.333 100.0 +3
BC 1955-56 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1.00 2.00 0.00 -1
BC 1956-57 3 2 1 0 6 3 +3 0 0 2.00 1.00 83.3 +2
BC All 24 15 3 6 62 32 +30 1 6 2.583 1.333 68.8 +9

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 7 4 1 2 24 13 +11 1 0 3.429 1.857 64.3 +2
BC 24 15 3 6 62 32 +30 1 6 2.583 1.333 68.8 +9
The 1953-54 records of the World Cup Preliminaries and British Championship are duplicated, and one set is deducted from the grand total.
30 18 4 8 83 44 +39 2 6 2.767 1.467 66.7 +10

Match History
 
 Club: Stoke City F.C. - 18 full appearances (1620 min) 8ᵍ F.A. International Select Committee - 17 full appearances (1530 min) 8ᵍx

apps match pic match details comp res. rundown shirt

Age 19
1 194 29 September 1934 - Wales 0 England 4
Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC AW 64 or

one of six who became the 600th player (603) to appear for England.
the twelfth player from Stoke City FC to represent England.
at 19 years and 240 days, Stan becomes the first teenager to score on his debut
 
2 195 14 November 1934 - England 3 Italy 2
Arsenal Stadium, Highbury
Fr HW   or
  

Age 20
3 200 4 December 1935 - England 3 Germany 0
White Hart Lane, Tottenham
Fr HW   or
  

Age 22
4 208 17 April 1937 - Scotland 3 England 1
Hampden Park, Glasgow
BC AL   or
209 14 May 1937 - Norway 0 England 6, Ullevål Stadion, Oslo tour AW withdrawn
210 17 May 1937 - Sweden 0 England 4, Råsunda Fotbollstadion, Solna AW
211 20 May 1937 - Finland 0 England 8, Töölön pallokenttä, Helsinki AW
  
5 213 17 November 1937 - England 2 Wales 1
Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough
BC HW 28 7
6 214 1 December 1937 - England 5 Czechoslovakia 4
White Hart Lane, Tottenham
Fr HW 30
55
85
7

Age 23
7 215 9 April 1938 - England 0 Scotland 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HL   ol
8 216 14 May 1938 - Germany 3 England 6
Olympiastadion, Berlin

tour
AW 42 ol
9 217 21 May 1938 - Switzerland 2 England 1
Hardturm Stadion, Zürich
AL   ol
10 218 26 May 1938 - France 2 England 4
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris
AW   ir

his five goals in 1937-38 makes him top goalscorer for the season

11 219 22 October 1938 - Wales 4 England 2
Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC AL 35 7
12 220 26 October 1938 - England 3 Rest of Europe 0
Arsenal Stadium, Highbury
Fr HW   7
13 221 9 November 1938 - England 4 Norway 0
St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
Fr HW   7
14 222 16 November 1938 - England 7 Ireland 0
Old Trafford, Manchester
BC HW 75 7

Age 24
15 223 15 April 1939 - Scotland 1 England 2
Hampden Park, Glasgow
BC AW   7
16 224 13 May 1939 - Italy 2 England 2
Stadio Civico San Siro, Milano

tour
AD   7
17 225 18 May 1939 - Yugoslavia 2 England 1
Stadion Beogradski SK, Beograd
AL   7
226

24 May 1939 - Romania 0 England 2, Stadionul ANEF, Bucureşti

AW injured reserve

  manager: Walter Winterbottom - 37 full appearances (3360 min) 2ᵍx

Age 31
227 28 September 1946 - Ireland 2 England 7, Windsor Park, Belfast BC AW withdrawn starter
228 30 September 1946 - Éire 0 England 1, Dalymount Park, Dublin Fr AW withdrawn starter
  

Age 32
18 231 12 April 1947 - England 1 Scotland 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HD   7
  

7 years and 329 days after his last England appearance

 
 Club: Blackpool F.C. - 36 full appearances (3270 min) 2ᵍ  

19 233 18 May 1947 - Switzerland 1 England 0
Hardturm Stadion, Zürich
tour AL   7
 
the fifth player from Blackpool FC to represent England.

B  
unused substitute - Switzerland 21 May 1947
20 234 25 May 1947 - Portugal 0 England 10
Estadio Nacional, Lisboa
  AW 1 11
61
85
7

the sixteenth England player to reach twenty appearances

21 235 21 September 1947 - Belgium 2 England 5
Stade du Heysel, Bruxelles
Fr AW 1 19
60 63
7
22 236 18 October 1947 - Wales 0 England 3
Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC AW 11 7
23 237 5 November 1947 - England 2 Ireland 2
Goodison Park, Liverpool
BC HD 87 7
  

Age 33
24 239 10 April 1948 - Scotland 0 England 2
Hampden Park, Glasgow
BC AW   7
25 240 16 May 1948 - Italy 0 England 4
Stadio Comunale di Torino, Torino
tour AW 3 7
B  
unused substitute - Switzerland 19 May 1948; unofficial - FC Schaffhausen 22 May 1948;

26 241 26 September 1948 - Denmark 0 England 0
Idrætsparken, København
Fr AD   7
27 242 9 October 1948 - Ireland 2 England 6
Windsor Park, Belfast
BC AW goal 27 given as Smyth OG
55 88
7
28 243 10 November 1948 - England 1 Wales 0
Villa Park, Birmingham
BC HW   7
29 244 2 December 1948 - England 6 Switzerland 0
Arsenal Stadium, Highbury
Fr HW 25 65 7

Age 34
30 245 9 April 1949 - England 1 Scotland 3
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HL   7
  

the third & oldest England player to reach thirty appearances

Age 35
 
WCF
outside-right 7x
256 25 June 1950 - England 2 Chile 0, Estádio Municipal, Rio NW party member
257 29 June 1950 - United States 1 England 0, Estádio Independência, Belo Horizonte NL
31 258 2 July 1950 - Spain 1 England 0
Estádio Municipal, Rio
NL  
 
the oldest World Cup Finals player so far
 
32 259 7 October 1950 - Ireland 1 England 4, Windsor Park, Belfast BC AW   7
  

Age 36
33 262 14 April 1951 - England 2 Scotland 3, Empire Stadium, Wembley BC HL   7
263 9 May 1951 - England 2 Argentina 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HW withdrawn injured
264 19 May 1951 - England 5 Portugal 2, Goodison Park, Liverpool Fr HW withdrawn injured
  

Age 38
277 17 May 1953 - Argentina 0 England 0, Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires tour Aab late and then, withdrawn
party member
278 24 May 1953 - Chile 1 England 2, Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago AW
279 31 May 1953 - Uruguay 2 England 1, Estadio Centenario, Montevideo AL
280 8 June 1953 - United States 3 England 6, Yankee Stadium, New York AW
  
34 282 21 October 1953 - England 4 Rest of the World 4
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HD   7
35 283 11 November 1953 - England 3 Ireland 1
Goodison Park, Liverpool
BC/
WCP
HW   7
36 284 25 November 1953 - England 3 Hungary 6
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HL   7
  

Age 39
 
WCF
 outside-right 7x
37 288 17 June 1954 - Belgium 4 England 4ᴭᵀ
Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel
ND 63

overtakes Leslie Compton as England's oldest outfield player
the oldest World Cup Finals player so far

289 20 June 1954 - England 2 Switzerland 0, Wankdorfstadion, Bern   AW withdrawn starter
38 290 26 June 1954 - Uruguay 4 England 2
Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel
NL  

the oldest World Cup Finals player so far


39 291 2 October 1954 - Northern Ireland 0 England 2
Windsor Park, Belfast
BC AW   7
40 292 10 November 1954 - England 3 Wales 2
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HW 70 7

the fourth & oldest England player to reach forty appearances

41 293 1 December 1954 - England 3 West Germany 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HW 27 7

Age 40
42 294 2 April 1955 - England 7 Scotland 2
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HW 27 70
74
7
43 295 15 May 1955 - France 1 England 0
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris

tour
AL   7
44 296 18 May 1955 - Spain 1 England 1
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
AD   7
45 297 22 May 1955 - Portugal 3 England 1
Estádio do FC Porto, Oporto
AL   7
298 2 October 1955 - Denmark 1 England 5, Idrætsparken, København Fr AW withdrawn starter
46 299 22 October 1955 - Wales 2 England 1
Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC AL   7
  

Age 41
47 303 9 May 1956 - England 4 Brazil 2
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HW 84 7
Matthews was specifically not chosen for the tour of Europe following the Brazil match, he instead, went to Kenya to coach the local sides.
48 307 6 October 1956 - Northern Ireland 1 England 1
Windsor Park, Belfast
BC AD 2 7
49 308 14 November 1956 - England 3 Wales 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HW 75 7
50 309 28 November 1956 - England 3 Yugoslavia 0
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HW   7

the third & oldest England player to reach fifty appearances

51 310 5 December 1956 - England 5 Denmark 2
Molineux, Wolverhampton
WCP HW 75 77 7

Age 42
52 311 6 April 1957 - England 2 Scotland 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HW 83 7
53 312 8 May 1957 - England 5 Republic of Ireland 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley

WCP
HW   7
54 313 15 May 1957 - Denmark 1 England 4
Idrætsparken, København
AW   7
314 19 May 1957 - Republic of Ireland 1 England 1, Dalymount Park, Dublin AD injured
party member
  

At some point, Stan Matthews became England's oldest player, and until we get Alec Morten's date of birth, we are hard-pressed to know which match. Without any doubt, he is England's oldest outfield player from the 1954 World Cup Finals

  
 
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