The final test before the World Cup started in a week's time could not have given England a stiffer task than this. Playing Poland in the grey industrial city of Chorzów in front of a fiercely partisan crowd was a severe test for all the players. They came through it magnificently.

After their usual indifferent opening, England took the lead after 13 minutes with as good a goal as one is likely to see anywhere. Roger Hunt, so often underrated, picked up a fine pass from Bobby Charlton, took half-a-dozen strides and surprised Szeja with a terrific 25-yard shot high and wide of the goalkeeper.

From that moment, England were superb with their defence absolutely outstanding. The effort that all the team put in was phenomenal. The full-backs were as solid as rocks, Jack Charlton and Bobby Moore were so dependable and in midfield Nobby Stiles and Martin Peters were tireless workers. Peters had surely won a place in the World Cup line-up after this display. He was everywhere and was always available when his colleagues found themselves in trouble. Two terrific shots by the West Ham player had Szeja leaping about his goal and he showed real world-class in everything else he did.

Poland rarely created anything worthwhile, so stifled were they by the supreme England teamwork. There was only the occasional moment of alarm on Gordon Banks's goal. A rare mistake by Moore led to a chance which Suski ballooned over the bar, and then a miskick caused a spinning ball to deceive Banks but the tiny terrier from Manchester United, Nobby Stiles, rescued England with one of his timely interceptions.

Jimmy Greaves had another quiet game and although for much of the time he was hustled out of the action, one moment of sheer magic late in the game took him past three defenders, only to be stopped just short of, what would have been, one of his greatest-ever goals. Alf Ramsey's late decision to switch Bobby Charlton to the forward line and bring in Peters to the midfield certainly paid off and this performance silenced a huge crowd in this magnificent stadium.

The warning had gone out after this tour that England's defence would give nothing away and the rest of world soccer now knew that they would have to work very hard in the coming weeks.
  

A beautifully-struck shot by Roger Hunt in the thirteenth minute was enough to give England victory in this final match before the World Cup finals. This would prove to be the line-up that just twenty-five days later would win the World Cup for England, with just one exception: Hurst in place of Greaves. Alf Ramsey had unveiled his wingless wonders, and there is no doubt that he considered this his strongest line-up. Martin Peters was the man of the match, sharing scheming duties with Bobby Charlton, and having the energy to help out in both defence and attack whenever necessary. He did it all with style and grace, and it was a surprise when he failed to make Ramsey's line-up for the opening match of the World Cup six days later.
  

Source Notes

TheFA.com
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
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CG