Wolves v Blackburn Rovers, FA Cup Final, 7th May 1960

Original full match footage of the 1960 FA Cup Final between Wolves and Blackburn Rovers at Wembley Stadium on 7th May 1960.

Wolves entered the final after being deprived by Burnley of a third successive First Division title by just a single point. The 1959-60 season was also the third successive season in which Wolves scored over 100 league goals. Stan Cullis' team were noted for their fast and direct attacking football, with centre-forward Jimmy Murray top-scoring with 34 league and cup goals for the season. Murray, who made his debut for Wolves in 1955, had established an excellent rapport with the inside-forward pairing of Bobby Mason and the skilful Peter Broadbent. Winger Norman Deeley had appeared sporadically for Wolves following his debut in 1951 but after establishing his position in the team in the 1957-58 season, scored consistently thereafter and earned a couple of England caps in 1959.

Following the retirement of the legendary Billy Wright in 1959, Wolves had been captained with great distinction by Wright's replacement at centre-half, England international and 1959-60 Footballer of the Year, Bill Slater. Cullis' team were further bolstered by the half-back pairing of Eddie Clamp and Ron Flowers while goalkeeper Malcolm Finlayson had proven to be a very worthy replacement to his highly esteemed predecessor Bert Williams.

Against Blackburn, there were two changes to the Wolves side that had beaten Aston Villa in the FA Cup Semi-final (http://youtu.be/Li4P7ABF-1c?t=47s). Inside-forward Barry Stobart had been included in the team for the final league match, a 5-1 win at Chelsea, and he was retained for the final instead of Bobby Mason - who had played in every round prior to Wembley. In addition, South African left-winger Des Horne regained his place ahead of Gerry Mannion.

Rovers, under the guidance of manager Douglas "Dally" Duncan, had beaten Sheffield Wednesday in their semi-final at Maine Road with two goals from a certain Derek Dougan. 'The Doog' later achieved iconic status for Wolves following his transfer to Molineux in March 1967, but on the morning of the final itself caused considerable consternation to the Rovers board with an untimely transfer request!

Ahead of the final, Wolves were viewed as firm favourites against a Blackburn team that had finished a lowly 17th position in only their second season back in the First Division. However, en route to the final, Rovers had displayed their potential by eliminating three of the top five clubs that season with Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday all being defeated by the Lancastrians.

Originally broadcast live on BBC Grandstand with commentary provided by Kenneth Wolstenholme.

Approximate time of goals on YouTube footage:

0:40:18 Wolves 1 Blackburn Rovers 0 (Mick McGrath - Own Goal)
1:11:26 Wolves 2 Blackburn Rovers 0 (Norman Deeley)
1:31:57 Wolves 3 Blackburn Rovers 0 (Norman Deeley)

Видео Wolves v Blackburn Rovers, FA Cup Final, 7th May 1960 канала Mercian1969