{"product_id":"stan-mortensen","title":"Stan Mortensen","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eStan Mortensen: In the Shadow of None\u003c\/i\u003e is the remarkable tale of the only player to score a hat-trick in an FA Cup Final – yet his story is about far more than that. Born in South Shields, ‘Morty’ almost never entered football. First, because he was told he was too slow; and second because of a wartime bomber crash that nearly ended his career before it began. Blackpool recognised his talent, and from 1941 to 1955 he became their second-highest scorer ever, netting in 12 consecutive FA Cup rounds and delivering his historic hat-trick in the 1953 final. The game was dubbed ‘The Matthews Final’, overlooking Morty, but he never complained. His England record was just as remarkable: 23 goals in 25 games, including four on his debut. When he died, thousands in Blackpool lined the streets to honour a player – and later a manager – who was loved by the town. This is the story of one of English football’s great goalscorers, a man who stood tall in the tangerine of his club and in England white.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57507728359797,"sku":"9781836803096","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781836803096.jpg?v=1787042868","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/stan-mortensen","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}