1953 offers a unique snapshot of life in and around football during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation year – exploring the matches, personalities and events that lit up the game.
Wembley saw its most exciting FA Cup Final ever with Stanley Matthews finally lifting the trophy. The top flight witnessed its closest-ever finish, and internationally the Mighty Magyars gave England a footballing lesson, as did Uruguay and Argentina.
Sheffield Wednesday’s star striker Derek Dooley tragically lost a leg, and exasperated players went on strike over the unfairness of the contract system and the maximum wage. Others travelled to Colombia in a bid to make mega-money in a FIFA-banned rebel league. Many negotiated the first-ever image rights deals and endorsed everything from football boots and Lucozade to cigarettes and paint.
In a fitting tribute to the new queen, eight of England and Scotland's best teams would clash in a one-off tournament to mark the start of Elizabeth II's reign, the Coronation Cup.
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"A welcome follow up to 1923… Close has produced a very interesting book, indeed. Highly recommended. Rating: 10/10."
" - Dare Radio
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"This book is fantastic... wonderfully told tales of the Mighty Magyars, the Matthews Final and the story of Derek Dooley."
" - Fussball Geekz TV
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"Close does the events of the year full justice... it's to his credit that he tells an honest tale and not one that could have been so easily sugar-coated."
" - On Yorkshire magazine
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"Marvin Close has done a fine job with this memory jogger of a time when players freely smoked before matches...and travelled on buses with the fans."
" - Sports Journalists Association News
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"Marvin Close draws on hours of painstaking research to paint a vivid picture of football in Britain in 1953... a fascinating narrative."
" - Backpass magazine
