It was a case of 'after the Lord Mayor's Show' as England travelled to Sweden for the first match of their summer tour fresh from the memory of that scintillating game against the Brazilians the previous week.

A strong, blustery wind was blowing around the stadium and Sweden kicked-off with the elements in their favour. Playing determined and uncompromising football, they soon had England pinned back in their own half. The visitors were virtually totally committed to defending as Sweden pressed forward.

Luckily for England, Sweden's finishing was very poor and they missed all their best chances. Lindskog and Sandberg both shot high and wide when well placed and Reg Matthews made super diving saves from both of those players as well as from another effort by S.Svensson.

Two other attempts could easily have opened the scoring. First Ekstr�m hit a post and then Berndtsson lobbed over the bar from a great position. There was also a lucky let-off for England when Duncan Edwards clearly appeared to handle in the penalty area as Sweden exerted yet more pressure. The referee ignored the frantic appeals of the Swedes and waved play on.

England seldom threatened to score themselves and made only a few sorties upfield. Two powerhouse runs by Edwards promised much but then fizzled out, and England's best chances fell to John Atyeo, who twice wasted good opportunities.

After the change of ends, and with the wind now at their backs, it was England's turn to lay seige on the Swedish goal. They forced five corners in as many minutes early on but were frustrated by both Sweden's resolute defending and the unpredictable conditions. Time and again the ball ran out of control as they attacked and all too often the England players chased balls out of play. Edwards again made a strong burst and Taylor fired a good shot just over the angle of the post and crossbar from 20 yards.

Unfortunately, these moments grew rarer as the game went on and when the referee blew the final whistle it cames as somewhat a relief to everyone. England had missed the other Matthews in this poor match but if he had had the same sort service that Johnny Berry had received, then even he would have found it difficult to inject the much-needed boost to England's play.
    

England were lucky to escape with a draw in a match ruined by a near-gale force wind. Goalkeeper Reg Matthews made three stunning saves to stop the Swedes from getting the victory their superior approach play deserved. It was the first goalless draw in which England had been involved since the game in Denmark in 1948. In conditions that would have sent a yachtsman racing for the shelter of any port, Wright managed to stop England from sinking with a cultured performance in the middle of the defence. The wind was so strong that it was almost impossible to measure a pass. Players would push a pass upfield for the forwards and invariably it would get caught by the wind and be taken for a goal-kick. It was a frustrating and fruitless game for everybody.
  

On Friday, 15 November 1952, The New Musical Express published the first ever singles chart in the UK, comprising the twelve highest selling singles of the week, it increased to twenty on Friday, 1 October 1954, and thirty on Friday, 13 April 1956. When England drew with Sweden, Ronnie Hilton's No Other Love was still the best selling single. This chart was published on Friday, 11 May 1956:-

Source Notes

TheFA.com
Svenskfotboll.se
Original newspaper reports
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record (Breedon Books Publishing Company, Derby, U.K., 1993)
Norman Giller, Football Author
official charts.com singles chart
____________________

CG