EXCUSE my gloat, but it is so happy I am to be able to report: "We wore 'em down." England stayed the fierce pace better than the Danes in this corker of a match at Portsmouth last night and simply bombarded the bold Erik Larsen, the Scandinavian goalkeeper, during the last 20 minutes.
Can it be that we have at last seen the light? Can it be that we have finally discovered  the formula for turning out footballers sleek as greyhounds, swifts as sprint stars and fabulously, gloriously fit? That is the hope that was hammered home with four second-half goals just when the Danes had started to droop. Well, not actually droop but slow up in comparison with our bright belligerent 'babes'. So frequently are the boots on the other feet. So frequently has it been England's players who have faded and folded up against fiery Continentals.
Mind you, in addition to this super-fitness stuff a spell of inspiration can be a great help and last night we had it from Johnny (Happy Feet) Haynes, the Fulham wonder boy. With a display vividly reminiscent of the best we ever saw from Raich Carter  Johnny welded his front line forces into a machine, then gave it a precision lock, The 20,000 crowd rose to this dark-haired youngster as he opened the gate time after time with superb positional skill, then stroked dream passes to his colleagues.
For a spell in the first half I though Johnny was overdoing the moves inside the back to Frank Blunstone, whose control is not all it might have been. But Johnny quickly changed his tactics, brought right-winger Arthur Keys  more into the game and gradually the pattern of success developed. The football was magnetic—a treat to watch with the Danes showing up well until that English hurricane scattered their defences at the close. The Danish half-back line, including five full internationals Ove Neilsen and Finn Jorgensen were very dominating characters in the first half and Alf Stokes in his first big match began to look as if he was being too highly tried. But now Alf—and all the others for that matter—responded to the canny coaxing of Haynes!
Our defence was several times in real trouble before the interval, but some stout tackling by Trevor Smith and shots brilliantly saved by Reg Matthews stopped the Danes from getting the dangerous 'lift' a first goal of the match would have given them. Naturally, it was Haynes who put us on the winning road. A slick through pass from the Fulham wizard to Blunstone saw the ball whipped inside for Stokes to score the opening goal in 20 minutes. Denmark hit back with a goal by right half Flemming Neilsen—a wizz of a free-kick from 25 yards, but that was as much as they could do in the scoring line.
Fifteen minutes after the interval Johnny Haynes put England ahead again and a few minutes later after one bad miss, Stokes scored No. 3. Before the finish Bobby Robson and Haynes brought the total up to five.
     

DURING season 1955-56 the International Selection Committee's policy of developing young players by means of 'B' and 'Under-23' matches began to reveal itself. No fewer than nine English players have already worked their way through the various preliminary teams to reach full international status: Haynes, Clayton, Hall, Edwards, Perry, Byrne, R. Matthews, and Atyeo. It is perhaps relevant to note that similar policies are being adopted to an increasing extent abroad, now that European teams are obliged to make changes as the time comes for the great players of a few years ago to be gradually replaced.
In order to show the English selectors' policy more clearly, it is perhaps best to describe all the international matches - full, 'B', and 'Under-23' in chronological order. Making due allowances for injuries and loss of form, it will be apparent that the selectors have pursued a definite and recognizable policy which, on the whole, has produced satisfactory results.

In the first match of the season, played at Fratton Park, Portsmouth, on September 28th, 1955, an even first half was followed by a brilliant display by Haynes. After the first hour the Danes tired, and the 'Young England' forwards gradually got on top, and with Stokes (2), Haynes (2), and Robson scoring five good goals, England ran out easy winners.