A MEDAL from the last time Blackburn Rovers won the FA Cup is expected to be sold at auction next week for £8,000.

Winger George Thornewell won the coveted medal in 1928 when Rovers beat Huddersfield Town in front of 92,000 fans.

He had signed for the club the previous year and helped Blackburn to a 3-1 victory.

Also up for grabs at the auction will be his three England caps which are being sold by his family.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson, from Hanson Auctioneers, said: “The FA Cup final medal from the 1920s is a very rare thing when you consider the birth of football was in the late 19th century.

“The collection is remarkable and in fantastic condition. We expect there to be a lot of interest.”

Mr Thornewell, who began his playing career for Derby County in 1919, was a staunch Derbyshire man and ran a pub in the county.

Throughout his playing career he was a publican, travelling to Blackburn from Derbyshire as he balanced his two roles.

He later went on to play for Chesterfield and Newark Town.

Until his death in 1983, aged 87, his medals and caps were on display at the White Hart in Duffield, near Derby.

The lots also include signed photographs, a gold pocket watch – a gift from Derby County to mark promotion to the first division in 1926 – and a series of England caps.

The FA Cup medal is encased in 15ct gold and is expected to sell for £5,000-8,000.

Each England cap, including those won against Sweden and France, could reach £600.

The collection will go on sale during an auction on Friday, January 21, at The Mackworth Hotel, Derby, from 10am to 4pm.