Stan Mortensen

1941/55 Blackpool (ENG) 317 matches, 197 goals

1955/57 Hull City (ENG) 42 matches, 18 goals

1957/58 Southport (ENG) 36 matches, 10 goals

1958/59 Bath City (ENG) 45 matches, 27 goals

1960/62 Lancaster City (ENG)

With the National Team :

25 caps, 23 goals

(Friendly matches: 12 caps, 14 goals)

(World Cup qualifiers: 3 caps, 3 goals)

(World Cup: 3 caps, 1 goal)

(British Home Championship: 10 caps, 8 goals)

1st cap: 25 May 1947 against Portugal (10-0)

Last cap: 25 November 1953 against Hungary (3-6)

B: 2 caps, 3 goals

England: Wartime: 3 caps, 3 goals

Wales: Wartime: 1 cap

Stanley Harding Mortensen

Born May 26, 1921 in South Shields (ENG)

Died May 22, 1991 in South Shields (ENG)

English, Striker, 1m74

Nickname: "Morty"

Stan Mortensen is the grandson of a Norwegian sailor. He grew up in Durham County and was spotted in 1937 when he was only 17 years old by the scouts of future talents of the Blackpool team. At that time, he was still playing for the modest club of South Shields Ex-Schoolboys.

At Blackpool, the beginnings were going to be complicated, he was not in the rhythm of the other players and was very close to being kicked out of the club. But the player did not give up and continued to train again and again. He also worked a lot on his speed, which earned him the nickname "electric heels".

But a geopolitical event put a stop to his career, it was the beginning of the Second World War. He still continued to play football, but the country that was going to be ravaged by bombs did not have its head in football. Still, he made a name for himself with the famous Stanley Matthews, one of the greatest English players in history, as a teammate.

Posted to Brussels, the two Stanleys were reprimanded by their commander for illegally selling coffee and soap on the black market. Fortunately for them, incredibly convenient protocol errors on the part of the Special Investigations Branch scuttled the investigation. It was a lucky escape, and it would not be his last.

Mortensen would indeed nearly die from strangulation by... his parachute. Mortensen, who was serving as a radio operator in a Wellington bomber, suffered serious head injuries when his plane caught fire and crashed into a pine plantation near Lossiemouth in Scotland. The accident claimed the lives of the pilot and the bombardier, while the navigator lost a leg. Mortensen was told he would never play again, that the risks of directing the dense, leaden balls of the time were too great. He was back on the field within three weeks.

Following the war, the English Football League resumed in the 1946-47 season. Still at Blackpool, Mortensen established himself as one of the best strikers of the time. For 11 seasons, he finished as the club's top scorer. Among his greatest qualities, it is inevitable to mention his incredible vertical jump and his efficient and powerful heading game. Despite his height of 1.74 m, he was formidable in the air. With England, Stan Mortensen made his debut in 1947, on May 25 against Portugal, a 10-0 victory. He scored 4 goals and established himself as the new center forward of the Three Lions.

The 1947-48 season was to be one of his best, and one of his saddest. In the FA Cup, he was the best player of this edition and by far! He scored at least one goal in each round of the competition. In the semi-final, he scored a hat-trick against Tottenham and went to the final with Blackpool! In the final, he scored a goal in the 35th minute, but Blackpool's defense did not hold, and the club lost the final 4-2 against Manchester United.

In the 1950-51 season, Stan Mortensen would have another exceptional season. He scored 30 league goals, finishing top scorer, the club reached a historic third place. And at the same time, the club reached the FA Cup final again, but the club lost once again, a new disappointment for the English striker.

Stan Mortensen will win his one and only club trophy in 1953, the FA Cup. The final will be crazy and the hero of Blackpool will be... Stan Mortensen! In the 88th minute, Blackpool is losing 3-2, with already 2 goals from Mortensen. But in the 89th minute, at 31 years old, the English striker scores his third goal of the match before William Perry scores Blackpool's 4th goal in the 90+2. Blackpool wins the FA Cup!

His last match with the English selection will be the humiliation after the defeat at Wembley against the Hungarians 6-3. In total, he plays 25 matches with England for 23 goals, a very good ratio! In 1955, he leaves Blackpool after 14 years at the club. He leaves for Hull City and goes on to change clubs Southport, Bath City and Lancaster City.

Stan Mortensen will remain a legend in English football thanks to his great career with the national team but above all his unbeaten record of scoring in 12 consecutive FA Cup matches!

Top Scorer in the English Premier League in 1951 (30 goals) (Blackpool)

Inducted into the Blackpool Hall of Fame in 2006

Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003

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