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Players Index Page Last Updated
31 July 2022
 
 

Stan Mortensen

Blackpool FC

25 appearances, 23 goals (four on debut)

P 25 W 17 D 2 L 6 F 81: A 38
72% successful

1947-53

captain: none
minutes played:
2250

Timeline

  Stanley Harding Mortensen
Birth 26 May 1921 in South Shields, County Durham [registered in South Shields, June 1921]. To Christopher Harding & Sarah Ellen (née Baker)
Marriage to Jean Galloway, on 2 November 1943 at Holy Trinity Parish Church in Blackpool [registered in Blackpool, December 1943].
Bill Andrews, the Somerset cricketer, was his best man. They spent their honeymoon in Aberdeen.
  Stanley opened a shop in Blackpool, selling sports equipment. It was at 2A Nelson Road in the town. Telephone number 25828.
He is also found in the phone book from 1969 to 1972 at his home address of 79 Lytham Road, you could call him on Blackpool 46705.
Death 22 May 1991 in Blackpool, aged 69 years 360 days [registered in Blackpool & Fylde, May 1991]. His funeral was held at St John's Church, Blackpool, cremated at Carleton Crematorium, Carleton, Lancashire.

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

Biographies Football is My Game - Stan Mortensen (Sampson Low, Marston & Co, 1949)
 

x. - A Football Compendium, Peter J. Seddon (1999).

Club Career

Played local schools football and then an ex-schoolboys team based in South Shields. He joined Blackpool FC in April 1937 and guested for Aberdeen FC during WW2, as well as Bath City FC and Arsenal FC, where he scored 25 goals in nineteen wartime appearances. He returned to Blackpool FC to play the best football of his career, scoring 197 league goals in 317 league appearances. Signed for Hull City AFC in November 1955 for a £2000 transfer fee. Joined Southport FC in February 1957.  He announced his retirement on 28 April 1958, but still joined Bath City FC in July 1958, eventually announcing his retirement on 10 May 1959.  He did however, come out of retirement in November 1960 and signed for Lancaster City FC, reaffirming his retirement in March 1962.
Club honours: FA Cup runners-up 1947-48, 1950-51, winners 1952-53;
Individual honours: Football League (five appearances);
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year runner-up 1947-48, third 1949-50;
Distinctions: Football League highest scorer 1950-51 (thirty goals);
Height/Weight 5' 9½", 11st. 7lbs [1950].
 

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

Management Career

Club(s) Took over the managerial reigns at Blackpool FC from 20 February 1967 until April 1969. Became the honorary vice-president of the club in October 1983.

England Career

Player number 667th player to appear for England
Position(s) Inside/centre-forward
First match No. 234, 25 May 1947, Portugal 0 England 10, an end-of-season tour at Estadio Nacional, Oeiras, Lisboa, aged 25 years 364 days.
Last match No. 284, 25 November 1953, England 3 Hungary 6, a friendly match at The Empire Stadium, Wembley, London, aged 32 years 183 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 1950;
British Championship 1947-48, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1950-51;
Team honours British Championship winners 1947-48, 1949-50;
Individual honours England wartime (two appearances), England B (two appearances, 1947-48)
England's Top Goalscorer 1947 (9 along with Lawton), 1947-48 (7), 1948 (5), 1948-49 (3 along with Milburn, Finney and Morris), 1949-50 (6);
Distinctions During a wartime international at Wembley in 1943, England allowed their reserve, Mortensen, to appear as a substitute for opponents Wales - because the Welsh had run out of players.
The first England player to score in the World Cup Final tournament.
Stanley could have played for Norway, his grandfather, Hans, was born in Norway, before moving to South Shields.
The fiftieth Durhamer to represent England.
Died five days after Harold Hobbis.

Beyond England

As a wireless operator in the RAF, Mortensen narrowly escaped death in a wartime plane crash. He suffered head injuries in the accident, in which the pilot and bomb aimer were both killed and the navigator lost a leg. After he retired from football, he ran a sports shop in Blackpool. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.181.


The Numbers
parties Apps comp. apps unused/
reserve
minutes goals ave.min comp. goals captain
27 25 13 five 2250 23 98 min 9 eight 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
25 17 2 6 81 38 +43 3 9 3.24 1.52 72 +11

Venue Record

Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 10 5 2 3 30 23 +7 0 2 3.00 2.30 60.0 +2
Away 12 11 0 1 49 13 +36 0 5 4.083 1.083 91.7 +10
Neutral 3 1 0 2 2 2 =0 2 1 0.667 0.667 33.3 -1

Shirt Record

Colour P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
White 23 16 2 5 79 36 +43 2 9 3.435 1.565 73.9 +11
Blue 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 1 0 0.00 1.00 0.00 -1
Red 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 0 0 2.00 1.00 100.0 +1

Competition Record

Competition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L

WCP

3 3 0 0 14 3 +11 0 1 4.667 1.00 100.0 +3
WCF 3 1 0 2 2 2 =0 2 1 0.667 0.667 33.3 -1
World Cup 6 4 0 2 16 5 +11 3 2 2.667 0.833 66.7 +2
British Championship 10 7 1 2 31 11 +20 0 4 3.10 1.10 75.0 +5
The 1949-50 records of the World Cup preliminaries and British Championship are duplicated, and one set is deducted from the grand total.
Friendly 12 9 1 2 48 23 +25 0 3 4.00 1.917 79.2 +7

Tournament Record

World Cup Preliminary Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCP/BC 1949-50 3 3 0 0 14 3 +11 0 1 4.667 1.00 100.0 +3
WCP All 3 3 0 0 14 3 +11 0 1 4.667 1.00 100.0 +3
World Cup Final Tournaments
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCF 1950 3 1 0 2 2 2 =0 2 1 0.667 0.667 33.3 -1
WCF All 3 1 0 2 2 2 =0 2 1 0.667 0.667 33.3 -1
World Cup
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 1949-50 6 4 0 2 16 5 +11 3 2 2.667 0.833 66.7 +2
WC All 6 4 0 2 16 5 +11 3 2 2.667 0.833 66.7 +2

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
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/WCP 1949-50 3 3 0 0 14 3 +11 0 1 4.667 1.00 100.0 +3
BC 1950-51 1 0 0 1 2 3 -1 0 0 2.00 3.00 0.00 -1
BC All 10 7 1 2 31 11 +20 0 4 3.10 1.10 75.0 +5

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 6 4 0 2 16 5 +11 3 2 2.667 0.833 66.7 +2
BC 10 7 1 2 31 11 +20 0 4 3.10 1.10 75.0 +5
The 1949-50 records of the World Cup preliminaries and British Championship are duplicated, and one set is deducted from the grand total.
13 8 1 4 33 13 +20 3 5 2.538 1.00 65.4 +4

The England Match History of Stan Mortensen

 Club: Blackpool F.C. - 25 full appearances (2250 min) 23ᵍ manager: Walter Winterbottom - 25 full appearances (2250 min) 23ᵍx

apps match pic match details comp res. rundown shirt

Age 25
231 12 April 1947 - England 1 Scotland 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley BC HD reserve
232 3 May 1947 - England 3 France 0, Arsenal Stadium, Highbury Fr HW unused sub
233 18 May 1947 - Switzerland 1 England 0, Hardturm Stadion, Zürich tour AL unused sub
B  
one appearance - Switzerland 21 May 1947
1 234 25 May 1947 - Portugal 0 England 10
Estádio Nacional, Lisboa
  AW ¹ 2
² 61
³ 71
77
8

the 667th player to appear for England.
the fourth Blackpool player to represent England
the 123rd player to score on his England debut
the 41st (fourth post-war) hattrick scored

Age 26
2 235 21 September 1947 - Belgium 2 England 5
Stade du Heysel, Bruxelles
Fr AW 15 header 8
3 236 18 October 1947 - Wales 0 England 3
Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC AW 11 8
4 237 5 November 1947 - England 2 Ireland 2
Goodison Park, Liverpool
BC HD   8
5 238 19 November 1947 - England 4 Sweden 2
Arsenal Stadium, Highbury
Fr HW 12
26
88
8

the 42nd (fifth post-war) hattrick scored
his nine goals in 1947 makes him the top goalscorer (along with Tommy Lawton) for the year

6 239 10 April 1948 - Scotland 0 England 2
Hampden Park, Glasgow
BC AW ¹⁰ 64 8
7 240 16 May 1948 - Italy 0 England 4
Stadio Comunale di Torino, Torino
tour AW ¹¹ 3
23 74
8

his seven goals in 1947-48 makes him the top goalscorer for the season

B  
one appearance - Switzerland 19 May 1948; unofficial - FC Schaffhausen 22 May 1948;

Age 27
241 26 September 1948 - Denmark 0 England 0, Idrætsparken, København Fr AD withdrew injured
8 242 9 October 1948 - Ireland 2 England 6
Windsor Park, Belfast
BC AW ¹² 62
¹³ 66
¹⁴ 74header
8

the 43rd (sixth post-war) hattrick scored

9 243 10 November 1948 - England 1 Wales 0
Villa Park, Birmingham
BC HW   8
244 2 December 1948 - England 6 Switzerland 0, Arsenal Stadium, Highbury Fr HW withdrew injured

his five goals in 1948 makes him the top goalscorer for the year

10 245 9 April 1949 - England 1 Scotland 3
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HL   8
11 246 13 May 1949 - Sweden 3 England 1
Råsunda Fotbollstadion, Solna
tour AL   8

B  
party member - Finland A 15 May 1949
12 247 18 May 1949 - Norway 1 England 4
Ullevål Stadion, Oslo
  AW   9

his three goals in 1948-49 makes him the top goalscorer (with Finney, Milburn & Morris) for the season

B  
party member - Netherlands A 18 May 1949
248 22 May 1949 - France 1 England 3, Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris   AW unused sub
  

Age 28
13 250 15 October 1949 - Wales 1 England 4
Ninian Park, Cardiff
BC/
WCP
AW ¹⁵ 20header 8
14 251 16 November 1949 - England 9 Ireland 2
Maine Road, Manchester
BC/
WCP
HW ¹⁶ 35header
¹⁷ 50
57 59
8
15 252 30 November 1949 - England 2 Italy 0
White Hart Lane, Tottenham
Fr HW   8
16 253 15 April 1950 - Scotland 0 England 1
Hampden Park, Glasgow
BC/
WCP
AW   9

B  
party member - Italy 11 May 1950
17 254 14 May 1950 - Portugal 3 England 5
Estadio Nacional, Lisboa
tour AW ¹⁸ 15 8
B  
party member - Netherlands 17 May 1950
18 255 18 May 1950 - Belgium 1 England 4
Stade du Heysel, Bruxelles
  AW ¹⁹ 65header 8
B  
withdrawn party member - Luxembourg 21 May 1950

Age 29
 
WCF
inside-leftx
19 256 25 June 1950 - England 2 Chile 0
Estádio Municipal, Rio
NW ²⁰ 39header 10

first ever Finals goalscorer and youngest so far
the fourth player to reach the twenty goal milestone

20 257 29 June 1950 - United States 1 England 0
Estádio Independência, Belo Horizonte
  NL   10

the 22nd player to reach twenty England appearances

21 258 2 July 1950 - Spain 1 England 0
Estádio Municipal, Rio
  NL   8
  

his six goals in 1948-49 makes him the top goalscorer for the season

261 22 November 1950 - England 2 Yugoslavia 2, Arsenal Stadium, Highbury Fr HD unused sub
22 262 14 April 1951 - England 2 Scotland 3
Empire Stadium, Wembley
BC HL 26 63 9
23 263 9 May 1951 - England 2 Argentina 1
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HW ²¹ 80header
86
8
  

Age 30
268 28 November 1951 - England 2 Austria 2, Empire Stadium, Wembley Fr HD withdrawn starter
  

Age 32
24 282 21 October 1953 - England 4 Rest of the World 4
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HD ²² 8 8
25 284 25 November 1953 - England 3 Hungary 6
Empire Stadium, Wembley
Fr HL 15
²³ 38
9
  





  

 
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