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Cyril Robinson, last surviving member of the Blackpool football team who beat Bolton Wanderers in the fabled 1953 FA Cup final – obituary

Cyril Robinson in 1951 - REX
Cyril Robinson in 1951 - REX

Cyril Robinson, who has died aged 90, was the last survivor of the Blackpool football team who edged a seven-goal thriller to claim a last-minute 4-3 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the fabled 1953 FA Cup final.

Played out between two of Britain’s biggest clubs in front of a packed Wembley Stadium, what has become known as “the Matthews final” was a dramatic encounter that encapsulated the magic for which the competition is so rightly famed.

Cyril Robinson was the middle son of a miner, born in the Nottinghamshire town of Bulwell on March 4 1929. His footballing talent first came to the fore at Henry Mellish School; he went on to play for Basford Hall Boys’ Club and Notts Corinthians before representing England Boys against Wales at Cardiff in a 2-1 defeat; further honours followed during his National Service with the RAF.

In September 1949 Robinson signed for Blackpool, then a leading First Division team. Earning £15 per week, he made his first team debut two years later in the home draw against Middlesbrough.

He was a speedy and steely left-half, good in the air but especially creative with the ball at his feet, but such was the strength of the Blackpool squad that his football was confined mostly to the reserves. However, in the penultimate league game of the 1952-53 season the regular left-half Hughie Kelly badly fractured his ankle. The side’s veteran manager, Joe Smith, surprisingly installed the comparatively untried Robinson in Kelly’s place for their final match of the league campaign, against Manchester City. He retained his place for the trip to Wembley.

Robinson, left, waits to ascend to the Royal Box, with Stanley Matthews, right  - Credit: Colorsport/REX
Robinson, left, waits to ascend to the Royal Box, with Stanley Matthews, right Credit: Colorsport/REX

It all began badly, when after only 75 seconds Bolton’s mighty striker Nat Lofthouse scored the opening goal. Stan Mortensen soon replied for Blackpool, but Bolton were back ahead by the break.

Despite going 3-1 up with an hour to go, Bolton found themselves struggling as the Seasiders gradually took control. After an uncertain start Robinson was becoming increasingly influential, and he began moving the ball about to feed Stanley Matthews. When Mortensen completed his hat-trick the scores were level at 3-3 with a minute left.

In one last, despairing attack, Matthews, having beaten two defenders, cut the ball back for Bill Perry to slam in a late winner. The reward for the Blackpool players was a medal and a £20 bonus.

Peter Dimmock of the BBC interviews the winning captain, Harry Johnston, watched by the Blackpool manager Joe Smith, and, far right, Cyril Robinson - Credit:  Colorsport/REX
Peter Dimmock of the BBC interviews the winning captain, Harry Johnston, watched by the Blackpool manager Joe Smith, and, far right, Cyril Robinson Credit: Colorsport/REX

The following season, with Kelly back on form, first-team opportunities proved few and far between for Robinson, and he played only 24 games in his five seasons with the Tangerines. Following a brief stint with non-league Northwich Victoria in 1956, he moved to Bradford Park Avenue of the Third Division North on a free transfer.

After making 89 appearances and scoring three goals, in 1959-60 he spent two seasons at Southport, who had been placed in the new Fourth Division following the Football League reorganisation. He dropped back briefly into non-league football with Buxton and Lancaster City, then spent 1961 in Canada with Toronto City, before rounding off his career playing and coaching in Australia.

Back on the Fylde coast, initially serving as Blackpool’s groundsman at Bloomfield Road, Robinson later became a newsagent. He went on to run holiday flats and then a hotel before being employed in the insurance industry.

In 2015, in a BBC documentary celebrating the centenary of Sir Stanley Matthews, he was interviewed at Wembley alongside Bolton’s Doug Holden – two of the last survivors of that epic contest. A modest man, Robinson was moved to tears as he recalled the day.

Holden is now the last survivor of “the Matthews final”; his Bolton team-mate Colin Wheeler died earlier this month. Cyril Robinson is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and their daughter. Their son died in 2001.

Cyril Robinson, born March 4 1929, died November 9 2019