MATTHEWS WIN IS NATION'S LOSS

As I was skimming through the daily papers this morning, considering who deserved to be considered the greatest footballers of their generation, I took delivery this morning of  David Goldblatt's superb volume on football history, "The Ball is Round". Pele and Bobby Moore adorn the front cover exchanging shirts after their World Cup game in 1970. Then I read the stuff about Rooney being near his 100th cap and almost top scorer for England, really?? Does he deserves to be lobbed into the same pot as these histroic figures?
In a corner of the Telegraph's sport section was the headline "Matthews medal sold for £200k." Shame. My first memories of the great man were in the 1950s when I supported Blackpool purely because of the legendry right winger. My parents bought for me in July 1960, his first autobiography and over the years I have acquired his 1952 life story "Feet First Again" and then gathered more books telling of his progress towards being a 53 year old professional back with his home town club Stoke City. I then met him three times in a short space of time when he visited Charterhouse with family friends who knew the school and Matthews "managed" a school XI at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in one of annual matches. I then met him when Alf Galustian ran one of his impressive skills sessions on the lawn by the House of Commons in London. Various global stars were helping Galustian promote his coaching programme in central London and Matthews was one of them. I then met Sir Stanley for a third time at Pontins, Heysham when he made an appearance at the English Schools Football Festival, hosted at Morecambe. Luxurious stuff!
Nick Hancock, an Old Salopian and Stoke City supporter, bought the famed 1953 FA Cup Final medal for £20K in 2001. He loaned the medal to the club for five years but decided to sell it recently. At the same auction Jimmy Greaves' 1966 World Cup winners medal went for £44k. Greaves never received a medal as he was not picked for the final but a campaign by his fan club managed to persuade the powers that be to award him a medal in 2009. Where have these medals gone? Lost to the nation.