Post-war Career
On 25 May 1947, Mortensen made his full England debut against Portugal and immediately announced himself on the scene by scoring four goals in a 10–0 win. The next year, Mortensen played all six England internationals and scored seven goals, including a hat-trick against Sweden. He was also a member of the England team that lost 6-3 to Hungary.
In a playing career spent mostly with Blackpool, Mortensen scored 197 league goals in 317 games. By the end of his career, he had played twenty-five times for England and scored 23 goals.
Between 1945 and 1950, Mortensen scored in twelve consecutive rounds of the FA Cup, including the Final in 1948.
After nine years with Blackpool, Mortensen went on to play for Hull City, Southport, Bath City and, after coming out of retirement, Lancaster City. After retiring for good, he returned to Blackpool as manager between 1967 and 1969, when he was sacked. He also auctioned his football medals in order to help Blackpool through a tough spell.
Mortensen topped the First Division goalscoring charts in 1951, with 30 goals. His most famous performance occurred two years later in the FA Cup Final of 1953, when he helped Blackpool to a 4–3 win against Bolton, after being 3–1 down, by scoring a hat-trick. Mortensen's third goal came with just a minute left in the game, and Bill Perry's injury-time goal sealed the victory.
After joining Southport, Mortensen announced his retirement from playing on 24 April 1958, at the age of 37. "I have been having trouble with my knee and have had several injections," he said, after deciding against renewing his contract. "Making the decision was not easy." Despite the announcement, he went on to play for two more non-League clubs over four years.
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