Celebrating The 1963 FA Cup Final vs. Man Utd

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Celebrating The 1963 FA Cup Final vs. Man Utd

Our Heritage Collection contains several lovingly created homemade artefacts created by fans.

2025-03-18T15:00+00:00

by John Hutchinson

Published

18 Mar, 2025

Celebrating The 1963 FA Cup Final vs. Man Utd

Our Heritage Collection contains several lovingly created homemade artefacts created by fans.

John Hutchinson

2025-03-18T15:00+00:00

Celebrating The 1963 FA Cup Final vs. Man Utd

Our Heritage Collection contains several lovingly created homemade artefacts created by fans.

John Hutchinson

2025-03-18T15:00+00:00

Celebrating The 1963 FA Cup Final vs. Man Utd

Our Heritage Collection contains several lovingly created homemade artefacts created by fans.

John Hutchinson

2025-03-18T15:00+00:00

Celebrating The 1963 FA Cup Final vs. Man Utd

Our Heritage Collection contains several lovingly created homemade artefacts created by fans.

John Hutchinson

2025-03-18T15:00+00:00

The montage below, painted on cardboard, of our Ice Kings side from the 1962/63 season, was made to celebrate the fact that the Foxes were due to meet Matt Busby’s Manchester United at Wembley in the FA Cup Final on 25 May, 1963.

We have no record of who the artist was, but he or she would have been very optimistic about us beating Manchester United at Wembley. With five games to go before the end of the season, City went to the top of the old First Division, having just beaten Manchester United 4-3 at Filbert Street.

Meanwhile the Red Devils, despite having Bobby Charlton and Denis Law in their side, were fighting relegation from the top flight, along with Birmingham City, Manchester City and Leyton Orient. Unfortunately, and against the odds, United defeated us in the showpiece. They also avoided relegation, while Leicester finished the season fourth in the table.

The players depicted in the montage are the 11 players who were the recognised in the First Team, not only for the 1962/63 season but also for the 1963/64 campaign which followed.

Goalkeeper Gordon Banks had just broken into the England side a month before. John Sjoberg had displaced 1961 FA Cup finalist Len Chalmers half-way through the season and went on to make 414 appearances for the Club, mainly at centre-back.

Left-back Richie Norman, who had scored against Man Utd at Old Trafford with a spectacular volley six weeks before the final, was to spend nine seasons playing in the top flight for the Club, hardly ever missing a game.

Centre-half Ian King, and wing-halves Frank McLintock (who became a Scotland international 12 days after the final) and the captain Colin Appleton, played a total of 830 games between them for City, including two FA Cup Finals. England Under-23s international Howard Riley, meanwhile, was a speedy right winger with a very powerful shot.

Gordon Banks at full stretch to save at the feet of Manchester United's Denis Law.

Graham Cross’s 600 appearances (a Club record) were mainly as a centre-back but, in 1962/63, he was a young inside-forward who regularly switched position with McLintock during games to confuse opponents. Centre-forward Ken Keyworth was the team’s top scorer that season with 27 goals in all competitions.

Inside-left Davie Gibson, who became a Scotland international a couple of weeks before the final, was an exquisitely skillful and creative player. He formed a legendary partnership with Mike Stringfellow, a fearless and brave left-winger.

Like Gibson, Stringfellow was in his first full season at Filbert Street, during which he scored 17 goals, including the towering header which defeated Bill Shankly’s Liverpool in the FA Cup Semi-Final.

Also featured are the Club Secretary, Eddie Plumley, and Manager, Matt Gillies, who, like the Scottish players in the team, is depicted wearing a kilt. Surprisingly, Assistant Manager Bert Johnson is missing from the montage. Described by Davie Gibson as a ‘professor of footballer’, Johnson’s tactical ideas contributed hugely to the team’s success that season.

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