Former Liverpool great Roger Hunt has been speaking to the press this week, with Friday marking the 50th anniversary of our very first FA Cup final victory – a 2-1 victory over Leeds United at Wembley.
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Hunt scored the opening goal of the game three minutes into extra-time, a strike that was soon cancelled out by Billy Bremner. However, there was still time for Ian St John to grab a winner and take the trophy to Anfield.
We’ve since won the FA Cup on six further occasions, most recently in 2006. Speaking about his memories of that day in 1965, Hunt told the Liverpool Echo: “To actually be able to say I was part of the team that won the FA Cup for the first time in our history was fantastic.”
As we celebrate the anniversary of one of the most historic moments in our club’s history, we take a look back at the players who starred on the big stage…
GK) Tommy Lawrence
Finished his playing career with Tranmere Rovers in 1974 and subsequently retired. Recently appeared on the BBC after being asked by a reporter if he remembered a famous Merseyside derby in 1967, a game he played in.
RB) Chris Lawler
Joined Portsmouth in 1975 before finishing his career with a succession abroad. He has since done work for Liverpool as both a coach and a scout, while he was recently voted 51st in the ‘100 Players Who Shook The Kop’ poll.
LB) Gerry Byrne
The man who famously played the majority of the FA Cup final with a broken collarbone. Byrne’s career would come to an end just four years later, again due to injuries. He was presented with a World Cup winners medal in 2009 after being an unused substitute in the final more than 40 years earlier.
CB) Geoff Strong
Played for Liverpool until 1970 and ended his career with Coventry City twelve months later. Strong died in 2013 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, he was 75.
CB) Ron Yeats (c)
Like Lawrence, Liverpool’s captain later joined Tranmere. From there he played for a succession of non-league clubs before calling it a day in 1978. He would also act as manager for both Tranmere and Barrow. He was appointed as our chief scout in 1986 and remained in the role until retiring in 2006.
CM) Tommy Smith
Much like Steven Gerrard, Smith swapped Merseyside for Los Angeles in the summer of 1978, acting as the Aztecs’ player-manager until the end of the season. He finished his playing career with Swansea City and has since been pursuing business and journalistic careers. He remains a regular for Anfield home matches.
CM) Willie Stevenson
Left the Reds just two years after the cup final, joining Stoke City. He later played for Tranmere and Macclesfield before hanging up his boots in 1975. He remained in Macclesfield after his retirement, running a contract cleaning company.
RM) Ian Callaghan
Liverpool’s record appearance holder. The veteran midfielder also enjoyed a fine spell at Swansea before retiring in 1982. Following his exit from football he started an insurance sales business. Along with Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles he’s only one of three English players to win both the World Cup and the European Cup.
LM) Peter Thompson
He left Liverpool for Bolton in 1973, continuing to play until 1978. During the late 1970s, as his playing career wound to a close, he attended the University of Oxford and obtained a Master’s degree in Business Administration. As of 2006 he was living in Portugal.
ST) Roger Hunt
The only member of this team to play in the 1966 World Cup final. Hunt left Liverpool after scoring 245 league goals in 1969, joining Bolton prior to retiring in 1972. Hunt continues to be known as ‘Sir Roger’ by the Anfield faithful, despite his lack of a knighthood.
ST) Ian St John
The striker finished his playing career with Tranmere in 1973. He then went into management, coaching Motherwell and Portsmouth before calling it a day in 1979 after a spell with Sheffield Wednesday. He later became a pundit working alongside Jimmy Greaves. He also remains a regular at Anfield.
Manager: Bill Shankly
He remains Liverpool’s greatest ever manager, having won eleven major honours and revolutionised as a football club. He was later replaced by his assistant, Bob Paisley, who won three European Cups for the Reds. In 1981, just seven years after his retirement, he died at the age of 68 following a heart attack.
