Stanley Matthews FA Cup boots sold for £38,400

(GETTY IMAGES)

The boots worn by Stanley Matthews in the 1953 FA Cup final have been sold for £38,400 at auction.

The boots were expected to fetch about £8,000 when they went under the hammer at auctioneers Bonhams in Chester but fetched almost five times that amount.

Matthews played an inspirational role for Blackpool against Bolton Wanderers in the final, as his team, trailing 3-1 with 20 minutes to play, came back to win 4-3.

Although Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick for Blackpool, the match has entered soccer folklore as "The Matthews Final".

Dan Davies, the sports consultant at Bonhams, told Sky Sports News: "I'd previously said I would be delighted if they fetched £10,000. I didn't expect them to go for so much. We do get these surprises now and again though."

Matthews was one of the greatest players of his generation and became the first player to be knighted in 1965. He died aged 85 in 2000.