Bolton 2-0 Manchester United
FA Cup final, May 3, 1958
Many neutrals were hoping Manchester United would win the FA Cup just three months on from the Munich Air Disaster that claimed the lives of eight of their players. But Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet and Co had Nat Lofthouse to contend with. Would it be an emotional victory for the surviving Busby Babes or would the Lion of Vienna roar at Wembley?
Nat Lofthouse (3, 54)
FA Cup final,
May 3, 1958
Wembley,
Referee: Jack Sherlock,
Att: 99,756
United may have had the sympathy vote but Lofthouse showed no mercy as he gave his side the lead after just three minutes. He was even more ruthless after the break as he battered goalkeeper Harry Gregg while scoring his controversial second. The Busby Babes came close to pulling a goal back through Charlton, but Bolton were the better side on the day and worthy of their fourth FA Cup win.
Key Figures
Nat Lofthouse
Very much the traditional No.9, Lofthouse had a phenomenal scoring record for Bolton and had netted after just two minutes in the 'Stanley Matthews Final' five years earlier. His opening goal on this occasion was crucial in silencing the many United sympathisers in the crowd and his second, though brutal, ensured Bolton would not be on the losing side this time around.
Harry Gregg
When he came round in the aeroplane in the immediate aftermath of the Munich crash, Gregg said he feared putting his hand up to his head as he thought it had been “taken off like a hard-boiled egg”. Although his early mistake had led to Bolton’s opener he couldn’t be faulted for the second and kept his side in the match with a series of fine saves before being bulldozed by Lofthouse.
Tommy Banks
His brother Ralph had been given a torrid time by Stanley Matthews in Bolton’s 4-3 final defeat in 1953, but Tommy made amends this time with a faultless display at left-back which ensured Wanderers kept a clean sheet. He also started the attack that led to the corner from which the first goal came.
Did You Know...?
Manchester United became the first team to finish as FA Cup runners-up two years in a row since the final moved to Wembley in 1923.
Four survivors from the Munich Air Crash played for United at Wembley - Bobby Charlton, Harry Gregg, Dennis Viollet and Bill Foulkes.
Eight minutes from time, United’s outside-left, Colin Webster, took umbrage to something Dennis Stevens said and flattened him. Referee Jack Sherlock, who had clearly chosen to adopt a lenient approach, detected nothing untoward and told the pair to shake hands and get on with the match.
What Happened Next
The final marked the start of a steady decline for Bolton. The following season Lofthouse retired and the Trotters lost 1-0 to Preston in a third replay in the fifth round. They did finish a respectable fourth in the First Division but within six years they would be relegated.
United fared even worse in the Cup in 1959, losing 3-0 in the third round to Norwich, but Busby would rebuild another successful side over the course of the next decade. The green shoots of recovery were already in evidence when his side finished runners-up in the league in the 1958-59 season.
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