|
 "WEARY
ENGLAND LOSE CONTROL"
Daily News |
|
|
Belgium
Team |
|
Rank: |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 15th |
Colours: |
Red laced-up jerseys with yellow/black collars/cuffs,
black shorts, black socks with red and yellow hoop. |
Capt: |
Jef Mermans |
Manager: |
Dugald Livingstone, 56 (25 February 1898 in Alexandria,
Scotland). Appointed 10 July 1953. ninth match, W 3 - D 5 - L 1 F
19 - A 12 |
oldest opposing WCF captain
so far |
oldest opposing WCF manager
so far |
Belgium
Lineup |
|
Gernaey, Léopold A. |
27
112 days |
25 February 1927 |
G |
ASv Oostende KM |
8 |
10ᵍᵃ |
2 |
Dries, Marcel H. |
24
271 days |
19 September 1929 |
RB |
Royal Berchem Sport |
8 |
0 |
3 |
Van Brandt, Alfons |
26
358 days |
24 June 1927 |
LB |
Koninklijke Lierse Sk |
20 |
0 |
4 |
Huysmans, Constantinus C. |
25
249 days |
11 October 1928 |
RHB |
Royale Bierschot AC |
6 |
0 |
5 |
Carré, Louis A. |
29
161 days |
7 January 1925 |
CHB |
RFC Liégeois |
42 |
0 |
6 |
Mees, Victor E.L. |
27
142 days |
26 January 1927 |
LHB |
Royal Antwerp FC |
35 |
1 |
16 |
Van den Bosch, Pieter R. |
26
229 days |
31 October 1927 |
OR |
RSC Anderlecht |
1 |
0 |
8 |
Houf, Denis M. |
22
121 days |
16 February 1932 |
IR |
RSC Liégeois |
1 |
0 |
9
 |
Coppens, Henri F.L. |
24
49 days |
29 April 1930 |
CF |
Royale Bierschot AC |
27 |
12 |
10
  |
Anoul, Léopold R.J.V. |
31
302 days |
19 August 1922 |
IL |
Royal FC Liégeois |
46 |
18 |
oldest opposing WCF scorer
so far |
11 |
Mermans, Joseph |
32
121 days |
16 February 1922 |
OL |
RSC Anderlecht |
36 |
26 |
oldest opposing WCF player
so far |
reserves: |
not permitted |
team notes: |
Marcel Dries' father, Léopold, also played for
Belgium against England in 1924. Pieter Van den Bosch's brother
was also in the Belgium party, Hippolyte. |
|
2-3-5 |
Gernaey - Dries, Van Brandt - Huysmans, Carré, Mees -
Van den Bosch, Houf, Coppens, Anoul, Mermans |
Averages: |
Age |
27
years 61 days |
Appearances/Goals |
20.9 |
4.9 |
|
|
England
Team |
|
Rank: |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 4th |
Colours: |
The 1949 home
uniform -
White collared short-sleeved jerseys, blue shorts, black socks
with white tops.
fortieth, W 21 - D 10 - L 9 - F 106 - A 70.⁴³ |
Capt: |
Billy Wright ³
44th W 25 - D 9 - L 10 - F 109 - A 70.⁹⁰ |
Manager: |
Walter Winterbottom, 41 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
62nd match, W 38 - D 13 - L 11 - F 183 - A 91,
one abandoned.¹³⁹ |
Trainer: Jimmy Trotter
(Charlton Athletic FC) |
Team chosen by Selection Committee headed by Harold
Shentall on Friday, 11 June. |
England
Lineup |
1 |
Merrick, Gilbert H. |
32
142 days |
26 January 1922 |
G |
Birmingham City FC |
21 |
41ᵍᵃ |
oldest WCF
goalkeeper
so far |
2 |
Staniforth, Ronald |
30
65 days |
13 April 1924 |
RB |
Huddersfield Town AFC |
4 |
0 |
3 |
Byrne, Roger W. |
24
282 days |
8 September 1929 |
LB |
Manchester United FC |
4 |
0 |
4 |
Wright, William A. |
30
131 days |
6 February 1924 |
RHB |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC |
59 |
3 |
most apps
1952-54 |
5 |
Owen, Sydney W. |
31
261 days |
29 September 1922 |
CHB |
Luton Town FC |
3 |
0 |
final app
1954 |
6 |
Dickinson, James
W. |
29
54 days |
24 April 1925 |
LHB |
Portsmouth
FC |
36 |
¹ |
 |
eleventh own goal conceded by England |
|
|
|
7
 |
Matthews, Stanley |
39
136 days |
1 February 1915 |
OR |
Blackpool FC |
37 |
9 |
oldest outfield player
& WCF |
8
   |
Broadis, Ivan A. |
31
181 days |
18 December 1922 |
IR |
Newcastle United FC |
12 |
8 |
9
  |
Lofthouse, Nathaniel |
28
294 days |
27 August 1925 |
CF |
Bolton Wanderers FC |
20 |
22 |
youngest WCF goalscorer
so far |
the 26th player to reach
this milestone |
10
 |
Taylor, Thomas |
22
138 days |
29 January 1932 |
IL |
Manchester United FC |
4 |
2 |
youngest WCF player
so far |
11
 |
Finney,
Thomas |
32
73 days |
5 April 1922 |
OL |
Preston
North End FC |
52 |
23 |
reserves: |
not permitted |
team notes: |
During extra time 'Owen went off for a
spell with a leg injury and resumed at outside-left with Wright at
centre-half, but this was too late in the proceedings to be used as an
excuse.' |
records: |
For the first time, England have conceded
26 goals in a single season. |
World Cup Finals records: |
For the first time in Major Tournament Finals, England player for two
hours, as well as score four goals in a match, and three goals in
ninety-minutes. Nat Lofthouse becomes the first player to score for
England in 'extra-time play'. |
|
2-3-5 |
Merrick - Staniforth, Byrne - Wright, Owen, Dickinson -
Matthews, Broadis, Lofthouse, Taylor, Finney.
notes: Owen went off injured towards the
end of extra-time, he returned to outside-left with Wright going into
centre. |
Averages: |
Age |
30
years 96 days |
Appearances/Goals |
22.9 |
5.7 |
oldest post war & WCF team so far |
|
|
Match Report by
Mike Payne |
So,
at last, The 1954 World Cup Finals are under way for England, and surely
this match will rank as one of the most eventful of the whole tournament,
no matter whatever else happens. For an hour England were magnificent.
Playing fast, purposeful football they
stretched Belgium to the limit and only a tremendous display by Gernaey in
goal saved them from an embarrassing defeat. Learning a good deal from
their Hungarian experience, England employed much of the style of the
magnificent Magyars. They overcame a shock early goal by Anoul for
Belgium to quickly equalise when Ivor Broadis scored after good work by
Billy Wright and Tommy Taylor had created the opening.
That goal came in the 25th minute and seven
minutes later a Taylor through-pass sent Tom Finney away. The Preston
winger sent over a lovely centre and Nat Lofthouse roared in to dive
horizontally to head a magnificent goal.
When Broadis added a third
goal shortly after half-time following a piece of typical Stanley Matthews
magic it seemed all over bar the shouting. But instead of pressing home
their advantage England tended to over-elaborate their passing movements
and in the last 15 minutes they were made to pay for this approach. In a
sudden five minute burst from Belgium the scores, remarkably, were level.
First Houf and then Coppens pounced on loose defensive work to give
Belgium a reward they barely deserved, extra-time.
This, too, was
full of drama. Lofthouse restored the England lead when fine work by
Broadis and Taylor set up the chance. However their joy was short-lived as
two minutes later a tragic own-goal ended the scoring. A long hopeful
cross by Dries was met by Jimmy Dickinson's head and the ball flew past
Gil Merrick to the dismay of all English fans present.
This was a
very frustrating result for England and particularly annoying because they
should have won the match convincingly.
|
Match Report by
Norman Giller |
A
Jimmy Dickinson own goal during extra-time gave Belgium a draw in a
helter-skelter match full of defensive blunders as England made an
eventful start to their challenge for the World Cup. A goal down in five
minutes, England produced some enterprising and energetic football and
deserved their 2-1 half-time lead from goals by Ivor Broadis and Nat
Lofthouse. The Lofthouse goal was a cracker, a spectacular diving header
to send a Tom Finney cross powering into the net. When Broadis added a
third goal early in the second half it looked odds on an England victory.
Then defensive lapses let the Belgians in for two soft goals that took the
game into extra-time. Nat Lofthouse made it 4-3 in the opening moments of
extra-time, and England seemed destined for full points when Jimmy
Dickinson turned an intended headed clearance into his own net. Billy
Wright took over at centre-half in the closing stages as Syd Owen limped
to a passenger's role on the wing. It was to prove the most significant
positional switch of Billy's career.
|
Source Notes |
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
FIFA match report
Belgiumfootball.be |
|
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record
Norman Giller, Football Author
The Complete Book of the British Charts
British Pathé |
|
cg |