Editing Stanley Matthews (section)

===Wartime career===
The war cost Matthews his professional career from the age of 24 to the age of 30. He instead joined the [[Royal Air Force]] and was based just outside Blackpool, with [[Ivor Powell]] his [[Non-commissioned officer|NCO]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=188}}</ref> He rose to the rank of [[Corporal#United Kingdom|corporal]], though he admitted to being one of the most lenient and easy-going NCOs in the forces.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=201}}</ref> He played 69 [[Wartime League]] and [[Football League War Cup|Cup]] games for Stoke and also made 87 guest appearances for [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]].<ref name="page 607"/> In addition to these, he also played a handful of games for Scottish sides [[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]], [[Greenock Morton F.C.|Morton]] and [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Adam Little remembers (in part) Stanley Matthews|url=https://www.followfollow.com/dr-adam-little/|website=Follow Follow Fanzine|date=10 November 2017|access-date=10 December 2017|archive-date=19 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119163526/https://www.followfollow.com/dr-adam-little/|url-status=live}}</ref> where he collected a [[Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup|Charity Cup]] winners' medal,<ref name = "post">{{ cite web | url = https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19410602/064/0002 | title = STANLEY MATTHEWS IN RANGERS TEAM | newspaper = [[The Scotsman]] | date = 2 June 1941 | access-date = 3 February 2023 | url-access=subscription | via = [[British Newspaper Archive]] }}</ref> and also played for an unofficial [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] XI,<ref>{{ cite web | url = https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000578/19410421/038/0004 | title = SCOTS BEAT ARMY XI | newspaper = [[Press and Journal]] | date = 21 April 1941 | access-date = 3 February 2023 | url-access=subscription | via = British Newspaper Archive }}</ref> [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] against Millwall on 13 January 1945 plus [[FC Dynamo Moscow]] on 21 November 1945 in extremely thick fog.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=213}}</ref> He also played 29 times for [[Association football during World War II#England 2|England]], though no [[Cap (sport)|cap]]s were awarded as these were unofficial games.<ref name="page 607"/>

One of the last games of the period was an [[FA Cup]] Sixth Round second-leg tie clash between Stoke and [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]]; the match ended in tragedy in what would be known as the [[Burnden Park disaster]] – 33 people died and 500 were injured.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=222}}</ref> Matthews sent £30 to the disaster fund and could not bring himself to train for several days afterwards.<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=223}}</ref> Matthews' father died in 1945. From his deathbed, he made his son promise him two things: to look after his mother and to win an [[FA Cup final]].<ref>{{harvnb|Matthews|2000|p=418}}</ref>