IT has been good to be reminded, in the Bolton Evening News and on TV, of the famous FA Cup Final of 50 years ago between Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool.

Neil Bonner's report in your issue of Friday, May 2, along with the accompanying pictures, revived poignant memories for me of the day I was privileged to be a 14-year-old Wanderers fan among the Wembley crowd, who witnessed what is often described as "The Matthews Final", the best FA Cup Final of all.

I'm glad for Sir Stanley Matthews that he got his medal. And because my grandparents lived in Blackpool, the Seasiders were my second favourite team.

So if Wanderers had to lose, I'm glad Blackpool were the winners.

However, what Neil -- and indeed most writers and commentators -- failed to mention, is that for most of the match, Blackpool were effectively playing against 10 men.

Quite early on Bolton's left half Eric Bell sustained an injury, which left him hobbling badly on the left wing for the remainder of the game.

The rules in 1953 did not allow the use of substitutes, so an injured player often remained on the field as a bit of nuisance value to the opposing team.

Brave Eric Bell served Bolton as well as he could -- he even managed to rise to head Bolton into a 3-1 lead.

But there is no doubt that Bell's injury was a grave handicap to Bolton, especially in the later energy-sapping stages of the game.

I have no doubt that Bolton would have won the Final had not Bell been injured.

To say that Matthews made life a misery for Eric Bell displays an ignorance of the facts.

If Bell's life was made a misery, it was because of the injury that made him an onlooker for most the game, not because of Stanley Matthews.

Half a century of Matthews' romanticism has distorted the media's appraisal of the 1953 FA Cup Final.

My plea is that at least the Bolton Evening News makes due recognition of the handicap of Bell's injury in any future references to the Bolton-Blackpool Cup Final.

Brian Smith

Hughes Avenue

Horwich

IT has been good to be reminded, in the Bolton Evening News and on TV, of the famous FA Cup Final of 50 years ago between Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool.

Neil Bonnar's report in your issue of Friday, May 2, along with the accompanying pictures, revived poignant memories for me of the day I was privileged to be a 14-year-old Wanderers fan among the Wembley crowd, who witnessed what is often described as "The Matthews Final", the best FA Cup Final of all.

I'm glad for Sir Stanley Matthews that he got his medal. And because my grandparents lived in Blackpool, the Seasiders were my second favourite team.

So if Wanderers had to lose, I'm glad Blackpool were the winners.

However, what Neil -- and indeed most writers and commentators -- failed to mention, is that for most of the match, Blackpool were effectively playing against 10 men.

Quite early on Bolton's left half Eric Bell sustained an injury, which left him hobbling badly on the left wing for the remainder of the game.

The rules in 1953 did not allow the use of substitutes, so an injured player often remained on the field as a bit of nuisance value to the opposing team.

Brave Eric Bell served Bolton as well as he could -- he even managed to rise to head Bolton into a 3-1 lead.

But there is no doubt that Bell's injury was a grave handicap to Bolton, especially in the later energy-sapping stages of the game.

I have no doubt that Bolton would have won the Final had not Bell been injured.

To say that Matthews made life a misery for Eric Bell displays an ignorance of the facts.

If Bell's life was made a misery, it was because of the injury that made him an onlooker for most the game, not because of Stanley Matthews.

Half a century of Matthews' romanticism has distorted the media's appraisal of the 1953 FA Cup Final.

My plea is that at least the Bolton Evening News makes due recognition of the handicap of Bell's injury in any future references to the Bolton-Blackpool Cup Final.

Brian Smith

Hughes Avenue

Horwich