Still regarded as one of the finest FA Cup finals, Manchester Utd and Blackpool served up a six foal thriller in front of 99,000 spectators on 24 April 1948. The King and Queen were in attendance, as was the Prime Minister and other members of the government to watch the first all-Lancashire final since 1933  (Everton v Manchester City). Not since the 1923 Final had so many fans queued outside the ground in the forlorn hope of getting a ticket. According to the Sunday Sun, one Blackpool man offered a week's holiday at Blackpool for a ticket. The prize for optimism went to the Manchester United supporter who arrived at Euston Station with six crates of beer, which he pushed along in a porter's trolley before depositing them in the luggage room. "The United are winning today' he declared. 'There won't be any beer in London tonight. That's why I've brought my own  - just to make sure."  Blackpool, with Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen, who scorded in every round, led 2-1 with twenty-one minutes left. But then Manchester United, managed by Matt Busby and captained by the legendary John Carey, scored three times to win their first final since 1909. The Manchester United forward line - Delaney, Morris, Rowley, Pearson, Mitten - were brilliant. The first drama occured with 12 minutes gone, when Mortensen went racing through on goal and was brought down from behind by Chilton.  It looked outside the box, but a penalty was awarded which Shimwell converted. It took United 16 minutes to equalize when Rowley made the most of a mix-up in the Blackpool defence. But Mortensen restored their lead just before half-time with a typically opportunist goal. United began to take charge after the interval but it was not until the 69th minute that they got back on level terms.  The correspondent from the Daily News put United's victory down to teamwork rather than individual brilliance. 'I give extra praise to goalkeeper Crompton, whose save from Mortensen led to the second evaliser; Aston, who subdued Matthews in the second half after Stanley had threatened to run way with the game in the first; Rowley, an indefatigable leader -ever trying to make openings - and an opportunist, and Pearson, the brains of the forward line'. Ten minutes after the equaliser Pearson put United in front and Anderson clinched the issue with a high speculative shot. When John Carey was presented with the cup by the King he was so excited that he dropped the trophy from the pedestal and the cup and the lid fell straight into the  arms of the Duke of Edinburgh.