Links With The Past: 1963 FA Cup Final Rosette

The recent semi-final victory over Southampton was almost exactly 58 years after City’s last-four win over Bill Shankly’s Liverpool in 1963. There are several parallels between these two momentous occasions.

Leicester entered both semi-finals riding high in the league. They were in second place in 1963 and in third place in 2021. City won both games 1-0. On both occasions, the next league match after the semi-final was against West Bromwich Albion.

The Club’s heritage collection contains several ribbon rosettes belonging to Leicester fans, along with the one illustrated here, which is made of plastic.

It was manufactured as a souvenir for the 1963 FA Cup Final, which was against relegation-fighting Manchester United.

Because the match was broadcast on black and white television, City wore an all-white strip in the final to avoid a clash with United’s red shirts. However, the rosette is in the traditional Leicester colours of blue and white.

Each member of the first team squad is depicted around the edge of the rosette.

From left to right, they are: Ken Keyworth, Albert Cheesebrough, Jimmy Walsh, Mike Stringfellow, Davie Gibson, Richie Norman, Colin Appleton, Gordon Banks, John Sjoberg, Frank McLintock, Howard Riley, Graham Cross, Len Chalmers and Ian King.

Cheesebrough, Walsh and Chalmers, who all had played in the 1961 FA Cup Final, did not feature this time.

In the 1963 side, Keyworth, Norman, Appleton (the captain), Banks, McLintock, Riley and King had also played in the 1961 Cup Final. The remaining four members of the 1963 side, Stringfellow, Gibson, Sjoberg and Cross, were playing in their first cup final.

Gibson and Cross were also in the cup final side against Manchester City, which Sjoberg and Stringfellow missed through injury.