The brilliant story of the Aston Villa player who broke the mould - and the record book

Fancy yourself as a pub quiz sports mastermind?

Well try this football teaser: Who is the only player to represent two different clubs during the SAME season’s FA Cup run?

The answer is Villa legend Stan Crowther – and the Black Country star achieved the unique feat in 1958.

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Even back then, the “cup tied” rule was in place: footballers were not allowed to begin a cup run with one club, then continue it with another.

But Manchester United were given dispensation by the FA, and for good reason.

Their squad had been decimated by the horrors of the Munich air disaster and Stan was drafted in as an emergency signing.

In fact, the cup was a very happy hunting ground for the Bilston-born wing half.

A year earlier, in 1957, he’d been part of the Villa team who beat United 2-1 at Wembley to lift the famous trophy.

He signed for The Red Devils only days after the February 6 plane crash that claimed the lives of eight of the Busby Babes, fellow Black Country legend Duncan Edwards among them.

In all, 23 passengers died in a disaster that shocked the world.

Stan’s £18,000 transfer was completed just an hour before his new team faced Sheffield Wednesday in the cup.

He had already played in Villa’s losing third round tie against Stoke.

But his magic helped the makeshift United squad buck the bookies’ odds and reach the final.

This time Stan fell short – the side was beaten 2-0 by Bolton Wanderers.

That was Stan, a footballer who broke the mould.

In an era when players were expected to be subservient and mere puppets of their paymasters, he believed in speaking out.

And he certainly spoke his mind. One daily newspaper described him, back in the day, as “abrasive”.

Even Stan’s departure from the game was controversial. He walked away, aged only 27, publicly declaring his disillusionment with the modern set-up. The player, who died in May, 2014, at the age of 78, also had a stint with Chelsea, but he will be forever remembered as one of Villa’s brightest stars.

And his claret and blue loyalty remained firm.

In a 2012 interview, he said: “I loved the place – I was never as happy as I was at the Villa.

“I was only 19 and before then I’d been playing part-time for Bilston.

“On my first day, our trainer Bill Moore called me over and said ‘Here’s 10 bob. Go and get your hair cut!’ “I said ‘No thanks’. I was very vain in those days and I’ve always liked to have my hair long!”

It’s clear from the start that Stan refused to glibly accept orders. He was no-one’s “yes” man.

“Winning the FA Cup in 1957 was the best day of my life,” he added.

“We weren’t supposed to have a chance against Man Utd and some people were even saying we would lose 6-0.

“But every one of those Villa lads was brilliant that day.

“Jackie Blanchflower was voted man of the match because he went in goal for United after Ray Wood was injured. But the FA secretary Stanley Rous, who went on to become FIFA president, said to my manager ‘Crowther was the best player on the pitch’.”

His impact at Villa was underlined in a statement issued by the club following his death: “Crowther, 78, was a hero of the 1957 FA Cup win – and admitted in a 2012 Villa News and Record exclusive that his time in claret and blue was the happiest of his career.

“Crowther’s big break came in September, 1956, when he made an impressive debut against Bolton Wanderers after Bill Baxter was ruled out with a cartilage injury. The programme for the next game described it as a match he would look back on with pride after rarely putting a foot wrong.

“By the end of his debut season, he was the proud owner of an FA Cup winner’s medal.”

Stan had cut his teeth with home-town club Bilston Town before joining Villa in 1955 for £750.

Orphaned in his teens, Villa had high hopes for their new signing.

He more than lived up to expectations, making 50 first team appearances and collecting three England under 23 caps.

What a record

THE emotion surrounding Stan’s first appearance for Manchester United, that FA Cup tie, was near boiling point.

The air disaster had taken place only 13 days earlier and acting manager Jimmy Murphy – Matt Busby was clinging on to life in a German hospital – was desperately searching for reinforcements.

Stan was brought in, along with Blackpool’s inside-forward Ernie Taylor.

There were tears among the terraces that night when United turned out for the cup clash.

Stan played with characteristic grit as his new team registered a 3-0 win at Old Trafford.

In truth, Stan’s stint with United, which spanned only one season and 13 first team appearances, was not a happy one.

He failed to fit in and was only signed because fans’ favourite Wilf McGuinness was injured at the time.

When McGuinness finally recovered, Stan was flogged to Chelsea for £10,000.

His first match for the London side was against United and he went on to play 58 times for the Londoners over two seasons.

But by March 1961, his career had taken a backward step.

Having spent most of his career in the top flight, Stan signed for Brighton and Hove Albion, a club competing in the old Second Division, now the Championship.

Again, his fiery temperament came to the fore. He refused, point blank, to turn out for the third team and was exiled to non-league football.

With Stan’s help, Rugby Town rose to the Southern League’s premier division. He ended his career with Hednesford Town.

Away from the game, Stan worked for 30 years as a foreman before being diagnosed with osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones.

He will be remembered as a player blessed with charisma, character – and courage – and a football record-breaker.

That FA Cup record is unlikely ever to be matched.