PLANTING SEEDS OF HOPE

Jimmy Seed, born Blackhill 25th March 1895 and brought up in Whitburn, north of Sunderland, was a football star and war hero.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-london-46153640/jimmy-seed-war-hero-and-footballing-legend
At 14 years old he was working down the pit and at 16 he played for local side, Whitburn in the Wearside League, scoring freely along with his brother Angus, who later turned out for Leicester Fosse. Despite scoring over 80 goals for Whitburn he didn't succeed in his early trials with the Black Cats, so Jimmy wasn't taken on as a professional. Given another chance, he eventually signed forms and joined up with Sunderland in April 1914. Then War got in the way!

In 1915 he joined the Army Cyclists Corps at 20 years old and then in France, joined the West Yorkshire Regt in 1917. He was gassed at Nieuwpoort, Belgium along with many others, who did not survive and again in 1918 he suffered the same "injury" at Valenciennes, before returning home. He had a trial for Sunderland in a Victory League match in 1918 against Durham City, but his "weak" lungs made it impossible for Sunderland to give him a job!

In 1919-20 Jimmy played for Mid Rhonnda, a team run by Haydn Price. a Welsh international and this led to him being signed by Tottenham Hotspur manager, Peter McWilliam, in January 1920.  McWilliam was a Scot who had won every domestic trophy with Newcastle Utd, so he knew his football.

With Spurs, Seed formed an understanding with Fanny Walden (a player not a groupie!) and Spurs won the Second Division title clearly and Seed was virtually ever present in the First Division for 7 seasons. Spurs also won the FA Cup in 1920-1. He won his first England cap in 1921 v Belgium on May 21st, but only won 5 caps.
The next season saw Spurs as Frst Division runners up to Liverpool but then then wheels dropped off and Seed went to Sheffield Wednesday where despite a terrible start to the 1927-8 season, the club recovered with Seed as captain and gained enough points in the final weeks to survive relegation and send Tottenham down from Division One on the final day of the season. Seed's influence won Wednesday two League Championships (top div) in the next two seasons.

As his playing career faltered with injury, he took to management and looked after Clapton Orient (1931-3), Charlton Athletic from Third Div to First Div from 1933 to 1936 and he stayed with the club until 1956 and then he managed briefly at Millwall (1958-9).

In 1946, he managed Charlton to the FA Cup Final but lost to Derby 1-4 and in 1947 Charlton beat Burnley 1-0. In both finals the match ball BURST!

The first FA Cup Final goal scored after the war came from Charlton's Bert Turner who deflected a shot into his own net. Sixty seconds later he scored directly from a free kick. Then the match ball burst and the final went to extra time. With Raich Carter and Peter Doherty in their side, it was no wonder that Derby won convincingly, as 98,000 watched the game.

10 clubs had lost in an FA Cup Final and then won it the next year in 1947...Charlton were one.....name the others! (and maybe also since 1947)