|
 "STAN
SETS BRUSSELS TALKING"
Nottingham Journal |
Officials
from Scotland |
Belgium |
FIFA ruling on substitutes |
England |
Referee James M.
Martin
Angus Hotel, Blairgowrie,
announced 17 September |
‘THE TWELVE SECOND GOAL’
"Before the Boy Scout Band, which played the pre-match music, had had time
to park their instruments, England had one in the net. I made it exactly 12
seconds from kick-off" - Clifford Webb, The Daily Herald,
Monday, 22 September 1947.
The FIFA ruling of allowing a substitute to replace an injured player prior to the 44th minute, and a goalkeeper at any time, is in place. |
Linesmen |
M.
Andrew Watt Edinburgh |
H. William G. Livingstone
Glasgow |
|
|
Belgium
Team |
|
Rank: |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 48th |
Colours: |
Probably red jerseys, red shorts, red socks |
Capt: |
Bert de Cleyn |
Manager: |
William Joseph Gormlie (b.mid-1911 in Toxteth Park,
England) |
Belgium
Lineup |
|
Daenen, François |
28 27 days |
25 August 1919 |
G |
Royal Tilleur FC |
10 |
25ᵍᵃ |
2 |
Aernaudts, Léon |
29 42 days |
10 August 1918 |
RB |
Royal Berchem Sport |
5 |
0 |
3 |
Pannaye, Joseph |
25 54 days |
29 July 1922 |
LB |
Royal Tilleur FC |
13 |
0 |
final app 1944-47 |
4 |
Coppens, Hendrik |
28 326 days |
30 October 1918 |
RHB |
Royal FC Malinois |
10 |
3 |
5 |
Henriet, Jules |
29 220 days |
13 February 1918 |
CHB |
Royal Charleroi SC |
6 |
0 |
6 |
Massay, Fernand |
27 275 days |
20 December 1919 |
LHB |
Royal Standard de Liege |
4 |
0 |
7
 |
Lemberecht, Victor |
23 129 days |
15 May 1924 |
OR |
Royal FC Malinois |
12 |
3 |
8
 |
Mermans, Joseph |
25 217 days |
16 February 1922 |
IR |
RSC Anderlecht |
5 |
1 |
9 |
de Cleyn, Albert |
30 85 days |
28 June 1917 |
CF |
Royal FC Malinois |
10 |
8 |
10 |
Anoul, Léopold R.J.V. |
25 51 days |
19 August 1922 |
IL |
Royal Standard de Liege |
4 |
3 |
11 |
Thirifays, René |
26 348 days |
8 October 1920 |
OL |
ROC de Charleroi-Marchienne |
6 |
1 |
unused substitutes: |
Rie Meert, Joseph Hoble, Adolf de Buck, Antoine Puttaert. |
team notes: |
Although dubbed as a Jubilee match, the Belgian FA actually celebrated
their fiftieth anniversary two years previously, in 1945. |
|
2-3-5 |
Daenen - Aernoudts, Pannaye - Coppens, Henriet, Massay -
Lemberecht, Mermans, Decleyn, Anoul, Thirifays. |
Averages: |
Age |
27 years
95
days |
Appearances/Goals |
7.7 |
1.5 |
|
|
England
Team |
|
Rank: |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 4th |
Colours: |
The 1946 home
uniform -
White collared jerseys, blue shorts, black socks with white
tops.
9th, W 7 - D 1 - L 1 - F 38 - A 8.¹⁸ |
Capt:
|
George Hardwick
9th, W 7 - D 1 - L 1 - F 38 - A 8.¹³
|
Manager: |
Walter Winterbottom, 34 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
9th
match, W 7 - D 1 - L 1 - F 38 - A 8.¹³⁹ |
Team chosen by Selection Committee headed by Arthur Drewry, on Thursday, 11
September. |
England
Lineup |
|
one change to the previous match
(Ward>Lowe) |
league position (11 September) |
|
|
Swift, Frank V. |
33 269 days |
26 December 1913 |
G |
Manchester City FC (FL 11th) |
9 |
8ᵍᵃ |
2 |
Scott,
Lawrence |
30 151 days |
23 April 1917 |
RB |
Arsenal
FC (FL TOP) |
9 |
0 |
3 |
Hardwick,
George F.M. |
27 231 days |
2 February 1920 |
LB |
Middlesbrough FC
(FL 4th) |
9 |
0 |
668 |
4 |
Ward, V. Timothy |
30 5 days |
16 September 1917 |
RHB |
Derby County FC
(FL 6th) |
1 |
0 |
27th County player to represent England |
5 |
Franklin,
Cornelius |
25
240 days |
24 January 1922 |
CHB |
Stoke
City FC (FL 18th) |
9 |
0 |
6 |
Wright, William A. |
23 227 days |
6 February 1924 |
LHB |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC (FL 5th) |
9 |
0 |
7
 
  |
Matthews, Stanley |
32 232 days |
1 February 1915 |
OR |
Blackpool FC
(FL 3rd) |
21 |
9 |
8
 |
Mortensen, Stanley H. |
26 118 days |
26 May 1921 |
IR |
Blackpool FC
(FL 3rd) |
2 |
5 |
9
   |
Lawton, Thomas |
27 350 days |
6 October 1919 |
CF |
Chelsea FC
(FL 15th) |
17 |
18 |
10 |
Mannion,
Wilfred J. |
29 128 days |
16 May 1918 |
IL |
Middlesbrough FC
(FL 4th) |
9 |
7 |
11
  |
Finney,
Thomas |
25 169 days |
5 April 1922 |
OL |
Preston
North End FC (FL
2nd) |
7 |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
unused
substitutes: |
Willie Watson (Sunderland AFC (FL
17th)). |
records: |
Frank Swift broke the goalkeeping clean sheet record by a single
minute, extending the record from 377 to 378 minutes, when Jef Mermans
scored in the 33rd minute. |
|
2-3-5 |
Swift -
Scott, Hardwick -
Ward,
Franklin, Wright -
Matthews,
Mortensen, Lawton, Mannion, Finney. |
Averages: |
Age |
28 years
161
days |
Appearances/Goals |
9.3 |
3.7 |
oldest post-war team so far |
most experienced post-war team so far |
|
|
Match Report
by Mike Payne |
Most
of Belgium's political VIPs were amongst the spectators in the
Heysel Stadium to witness a fine performance by an England side
inspired by the magic of Stanley Matthews.
Rain threatened at the start but it took England only one minute to
take the lead. A lovely move, in which all the forwards featured,
ended with Tommy Lawton scoring from Matthews' pass.
By now the rain was lashing down but more delightful play soon gave
England their second goal. Again Matthews was involved. His cross
was headed down into some space by Lawton and Stan Mortensen burst
through to beat Daenen with a good shot.
That goal had come
after 15 minutes and. almost at once, Matthews set up another
goal. This time his cross to the far post was met by Tom Finney,
who made it 3-0.
Belgium hit back before half-time when
Mermans put in a fine header that was well saved by Frank Swift.
The inside-right was not to be denied though and shortly
afterwards he took a pass from De Cleyn and shot home via a
deflection off George Hardwick's legs. The goal ended an eventful
first 45 minutes.
After the berak the rain stopped and the
sun came out. It spurred Belgium on and ten minutes into the
second half, they really opened up the game with a second goal.
Swift was drawn badly out of position and Lemberecht was able to
head into an empty net.
The Belgians then threw everything
at England trying desperately to find an equaliser. But Matthews
had other ideas. A superb dribble, in which he beat man after man,
ended with him setting up Finney with the easiest of chances for
the goal that settled the issue.
Before the end, England
underlined their superiority with a fifth goal. The incredible
Matthews again made the running before Lawton headed past the
goalkeeper.
|
Match Report
by Norman Giller |
Many observers considered this the
finest match Stanley Matthews ever played for England. The "Wizard
of Dribble" laid on all five goals and at the final whistle got a
standing ovation from the Belgian crowd. Stanley started the
slaughter after just 35 seconds when he crossed for Tommy Lawton
to score with one of his typical headers. It
was raining cats and dogs and goals as England raced 3-0 clear before the
Belgians pulled one back just before half-time. Belgium began to get a grip on
the game as the sun came out in the second-half, and they made it 3-2 before
Matthews took over again, laying on decisive goals for first Tom Finney and -
finishing as he had started - crossing the ball for Lawton to head his second
goal and England's fifth. Derby County right-half Tim Ward made his debut,
with Billy playing in the number six shirt. The game was played at the Heysel
Stadium, the scene of the tragic crowd
disaster during the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus.
The ground had been used as a park for German tanks during the war and the
pitch had been re-laid. It started to cut up in the downpour. The Belgian
defenders were slipping and sliding all over the place as Stanley ran rings
round them. It was an astonishing performance by the Maestro. Five Belgians
tried to get the ball off him when he set up the fourth goal. He beat each one
of them, then dribbled round another for a second time before passing to Tom
Finney, who had the simple task of placing the ball into the net for his
second goal that had Matthews written all over it. Even by Stanley's
standards, this was something very special.
|
Match Report
as reported in the
F.A. Yearbook
1948-49, page 22 |
The International season opened with a victory at the Heysel
Stadium at Brussels, September 21, 1947, over Belgium by five
goals to two. In this match, as in so many others, Stanley
Matthews at outside-right proved himself the player of the year;
though he scored none of them, he 'made' all England's goals. In
pouring rain England started with a perfect forward movement from
the kick-off and scored within the first minute of the game.
Lawton kicked the goal from a splendid pass from Matthews. A
quarter of an hour later Matthews performed one of his famous runs
and centred to Lawton who headed to Mortensen for the last-named
to score. Very shortly afterwards Matthews placed a free kick in a
perfect position for Finney to score again. A quarter of an hour
from half-time Mermans, the Belgian inside-right, scored from a
pass from is centre-forward, the ball being deflected into the net
by Hardwick's legs.
In the second half the weather and the
Belgian team both improved, and the next goal went to Belgium in
ten minutes, being scored with a header by Lemberecht. At 3—2
the game became livelier but, in spite of Belgium's great efforts
to level the score, Matthews soon made another of his dribbling
runs, beating player after player down the field and giving Finney
another easy chance to score the fourth goal. The last goal was
scored with Lawton's head, after still another magnificent run by
Matthews.
All twelve England players on
duty were absent from their club's first-division fixture on the
previous day:
Arsenal 3
Stoke City 0 - Arsenal without Lawrie
Scott, Stoke without Neil Franklin.
Blackpool 0
Sunderland 1 - Blackpool without
Matthews and Mortensen, Sunderland without Willie Watson.
Chelsea 3
Everton 1 - Chelsea without Tommy
Lawton.
Derby
County 1 Aston Villa 3 - Derby without
Tim Ward.
Huddersfield Town 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
- Wolves without Billy Wright.
Manchester
City 0 Manchester United 0 - City
without Frank Swift.
Middlesbrough 1 Portsmouth 2 -
Middlesbrough without Hardwick and Mannion.
Sheffield
United 3 Preston North End 1 - Preston
without Tom Finney.
IN OTHER NEWS...
It was on 22 September 1947 that
the Post Office issued details of how they would provide relief on
tobacco duty for pensioners who were habitual smokers or snuff
takers. Tokens would be accepted as part-payments by tobacconists.
It was in response to an increase in the tax of 43%. 1.4 million
pensioners received the tokens, rising to 2.6 million when it was
repealed, ten years later. |
Source Notes |
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports Belgianfootball.be |
|
Rothman's Yearbooks Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record
Norman Giller, Football Author Drew Herbertson, Scottish FA historian |
|
cg |