Came across these photos from the Staffordshire Sentinel, February 20th 1954 - the last day that Blackpool could truly be called 'Cup holders'. They lost 2-0 that day at Third Division Port Vale, who were on their way to the semi-final, where only dodgy refereeing stopped them reaching Wembley.
On page 1 was this fine shot of the Blackpool team taken at the Castle Hotel, Newcastle-under-Lyme, where they stayed the night before the game. You'll notice there are only ten players. The caption was 'where is the missing man?'
The missing man was Stanley Matthews, who wasn't staying at the hotel. He was spending the night with his family down the road in Hanley. The Staffordshire Sentinel tracked hin down too:
Stanley Jr on the right went on to become a well-known tennis player, appearing at Wilmbledon in the 1960s.
The Sentinel also caught up with Blackpool fans arriving at Longport Station, close to Vale Park:
Apparently there were 12,000 Blackpool fans at the game, 'the largest exodus since Wembley'.
This story was also in the same issue of the Sentinel:
No connection to the Cup tie, you might think. But actually, those restrictions prevented one important Blackpool 'supporter' attending the match. That was the famous duck, the club mascot, who'd been smuggled into Wembley the year before.
No other explanation for the defeat is necessary.