Stan Crowther (footballer)

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Stan Crowther
Personal information
Date of birth	3 September 1935 (1935-09-03) (age 72)
Place of birth	Bilston, England
Playing position	Wing-half
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1956-58 1958 1958-61- 1961	Aston Villa Manchester United Chelsea Brighton & Hove Albion	50 (4) 13 (0) 51 (0) 04 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Stanley 'Stan' Crowther (born 3 September 1935 in Bilston) was a footballer who played during the 1950s.

A wing-half, Crowther started out with Aston Villa, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1957, beating Manchester United 2-1 in the final. Less than a year later, in February 1958, Crowther was hastily signed by United for £18,000 in the wake of the Munich air disaster. The transfer was completed just 75 minutes before their match against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup was due to kick-off.

Having already played for Villa in the competition that year, Crowther would normally have been cup-tied, but United's squad had been decimated by Munich and were therefore given special dispensation by the FA to field him; he scored in a 3-0 win. Crowther and United went on to reach a second consecutive final, though they lost 2-0 to Bolton Wanderers.

His time at Old Trafford was short-lived, however, and in December that year he joined Chelsea for £10,000; ironically, his debut for the Blues was against United. Crowther stayed with the West London side for two seasons, making 58 appearances, before having brief spells with Brighton & Hove Albion and non-league sides Rugby Town and Hednesford Town. Crowther announced his retirement at the age of 27, citing his disillusionment with the game.