60 years on...when Wolves won the FA Cup!
Today marks 60 years since Stan Cullis’s Wolves side lifted the FA Cup courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Blackburn at Wembley.
This was the fourth triumph in the competition for the club and – after coming pretty close last year – is still the most recent.
On May 7, 1960, Wolves lived up to expectations.
Having claimed the First Division crown the previous three seasons, only to be pipped to the post by Burnley during this campaign, Cullis’s charges went into the final as favourites because Blackburn, meanwhile, had finished 17th in the top flight.
Wolves entered the showpiece having beaten local rivals Villa – at the home of fierce rivals Albion, The Hawthorns – 1-0 in the semi-final.
And after taking the lead at a hot, humid, 98,954 strong Wembley, they made the most of some very unfortunate circumstances for Blackburn to run out comfortable winners.
The Lancashire outfit had a narrow escape when Peter Broadbent headed over the bar for Wolves after keeper Harry Leyland had misjudged a cross from the right.
Then, Cullis had his shot-stopper, Malcolm Finlayson, to thank for keeping out Peter Dobing from close range after he had jinked his way through the gold and black backline.
Blackburn came to rue that miss as they endured a disastrous few moments before the interval.
Wolves took the lead when Rovers defender Mick McGrath put the ball into his own net in the 41st minute.
It quickly went from bad to worse for the Lancashire side 90 seconds or so later when Dave Whelan broke his leg.
Left in a heap after colliding with Norman Deeley, Whelan was stretchered off – putting Blackburn, without the luxury of substitutes back then, down to 10 men.
Deeley was still feeling the effects of the clash at the start of the second period, but he would go on to take centre stage.
Jimmy Murray thought he had doubled Wolves’ advantage, only to be flagged offside, before Deeley actually did.
Des Horne flashed the ball across the face of goal and Deeley was there at the far post to finish, first-time, into the bottom corner.
Ron Flowers also had a strike chalked off for offside before the disadvantaged and tiring Rovers presented Deeley the chance to score from six yards.
He made no mistake either, smashing into the roof of the net to round off the triumph, before skipper Bill Slater lead Wolves up the royal box to lift the trophy.
A fantastic day, and while Nuno Espirito Santo’s current stars have captured the imaginations of supporters over these past few years, the gold and black faithful are still longing for silverware to be won in such style.
