England Football Online
Results 1946-1950                    Page Last Updated 14 April 2023

Norge/Noreg

 
221 vs. Norway
 
previous match (5 days)
246 vs. Sweden
previous tour match (3 days)
'B' 03 vs. Finland
247
also on this day
'B' 04 vs. Netherlands
next match (4 days)

248 vs. France
 
401 vs. Norway
Wednesday, 18 May 1949
End-of-Season Continental Tour Match
 

Norway 1 England 4
[0-2]
 
 
Ullevål Stadion, Ullevål, Oslo
Kick-off (CET): 7.00pm 7.00pm BST

Attendance: 36,000.
unknown kicked-off
  [0-1] Jimmy Mullen 5
left footed shot from a Wilf Mannion pass
[0-2] Tom Finney 37
"A feint by Billy Wright started a chessboard move in which Morris, Mannion and Mortensen joined before the ball was slipped to Finney, who coolly beat the back and placed his shot well out of the reach of the goalkeeper."
[1-1] Gunnar Thorsen strike hits the crossbar 53
[1-2] W
illy Andresen 53
 rebounded shot after Thorsen's shot hit the crossbar


[1-3] Björn Spydevold own goal 60
into his
own goal as he passed back to his goalkeeper, who had slipped. He was "trying to clear a long ball from Dickinson"
[1-4] Johnny Morris 71
"Morris, with the keeper out of position, lobbed in a long one from the wing."
no TV or Radio coverage
 
"CHESSBOARD GOAL PUT ENGLAND IN WINNING WAY" Daily Herald
Officials Norway FIFA ruling on substitutes England Party
Referee
John Erik Andersson
41 (25 June 1907), Trollhättan, Sweden
Teams presented to King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olaf.

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
tbc tbc
 
Norway Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 31st to 34th
Colours Probably red and white
Captain   Selection Uttakskomitë
Norway Lineup
  Torgensen, Torgeir 26
69 days
10 March 1923 G IL Viking    
2 Spydevold, Björn A. 30
252 days
8 September 1918 RB Fredrikstad FK    
the seventeenth own goal scored for England
     
3 Karlsen, Harry Boye A. 29
65 days
14 March 1920 LB Örn Horten    
4 Svenssen, O. Thorbjörn 25
26 days
22 April 1924 RHB Sandefjord BK    
5 Andersen, Knut 22
302 days
20 July 1927 CHB Skeid Fotball    
6 Andersen, Odd 28
353 days
30 May 1920 LHB Fredrikstad FK 1 0
only app 1949
7 Arnesen, Trygve 33
158 days
11 December 1915 OR Vålerengens IF    
8 Thoresen, Gunnar N. 28
301 days
21 July 1920 IR Larvik T    
9
Andresen, Willy 24
109 days
29 January 1925 CF Sarpsborg FK    
10 Nordahl, Hans 31
19 days
29 April 1918 IL Skeid Fotball    
11 Dahlen, Gunnar M. 31
20 days
28 April 1918 OL Freidig   3
unused substitutes: not known
 
2-3-5 Torgensen -
Spydevold, Karlsen -

K.Andersen, Svenssen, O.Anderssen -
Arnesen, Thorsen, Andersen, Nordahl, Dahlen.
Averages: Age 28 years 87 days Appearances/Goals - -
 
England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 5th
Colours The 1949 home uniform - White collared jerseys, blue shorts, black socks with white tops.
P 3 of 43, W 1 - D 0 - L 2 - F 6 - A 7.

Captain
Billy Wright
Manager Walter Winterbottom, 36 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
6th of 90, W 4 - D 0 - L 2 - F 19 - A 9. Trainer: Jimmy Trotter (Charlton Athletic FC) P 21st of 139, W 15 - D 3 - L 3 - F 72 - A 21.
  Party chosen by Selection Committee headed by Arthur Drewry, on Monday, 2 May, team chosen on Monday, 16 May.
England Lineup
  six changes to the previous match (Ditchburn, Shimwell, Cockburn, Bentley, Rowley & Langton out) FINAL league positions (7 May)  
  Swift, Frank V. 35
143 days
26 December 1913 G Manchester City FC (FL 7th) 19 18ᵍᵃ
final app 1946-49
683 2 Ellerington, William 25
322 days
30 June 1923 RB Southampton FC (FL2 third) 1 0
twelfth Southampton player to represent England
3 Aston, John 27
167 days
3 September 1921 LB Manchester United FC (FL RU) 6 0
4 Wright, William A. 25
101 days
6 February 1924 RHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 6th) 21 0
5 Franklin, Cornelius 27
114 days
24 January 1922 CHB Stoke City FC (FL 11th) 21 0
684 6 Dickinson, James W. 24
24 days
24 April 1925 LHB Portsmouth FC (FL CHAMPIONS) 1 0
seventh Portsmouth player to represent England
7
Finney, Thomas 27
43 days
5 April 1922 OR Preston North End FC (FL 21st rel.) 17 14
685 8
Morris, John 25
233 days
27 September 1923 IR Derby County FC (FL 3rd) 1 1
the 29th County player to represent England
9 Mortensen, Stanley H. 27
357 days
26 May 1921 CF Blackpool FC (FL 16th) 12 14
10
Mannion, Wilfred J. 30
2 days
16 May 1918 IL Middlesbrough FC (FL 19th) 14 8
11
Mullen, James 26
132 days
6 January 1923 OL Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 6th) 2 1
unused substitute: Dennis Wilshaw (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 6th))
 
2-3-5 Swift -
Ellerington, Aston -
Wright, Franklin, Dickinson -
Finney, Morris, Mortensen, Mannion, Mullen.
Averages: Age 27 years 226 days Appearances/Goals 10.5 3.2
 
              Match Report by Mike Payne

Under overcast skies and with one or two sharp downpours of rain, England continued their tour by beating Norway easily. However, although it was a clear win, it was far from convincing.

It only took six minutes for England to take the lead. Billy Wright sent a crossfield pass towards Johnny Morris, who guided it on to Jimmy Mullen for the winger to score with a crisp left-foot shot.

After taking command so early it seemed only a question of how many goals England would score. Unfortunately, for most of the rest of the first half all the visiting players tended to overdo the ball skills and as a result showed little finishing power. Morris was making an enterprising debut, though, and quickly struck up a good partnership with Wilf Mannion. Tom Finney and Mullen however were not at their best and they were both guilty of dallying too long before shooting.

Norway worked hard and after 30 minutes produced their best move of the match. It gave the England defence a few awkward moments before they eventually cleared the danger. With seven minutes of the half remaining. England produced a thrilling goal.

A superb move involving Wright, Morris, Mannion, Stan Mortensen and Finney ended with the latter shooting home to score a beauty. From then on it was largely an exhibition game for England, although there were still a few question-marks over certain positions. Both Frank Swift and Bill Ellerington looked uncomfortable and some felt that they had seen the last of 'Big Swifty', who had graced the goalkeeping position for so long.

Wright, Neil Franklin and Jimmy Dickinson looked powerful enough, though, and Dickinson certainly seemed the perfect foil for Wright in the midfield.

With eight minutes of the second half gone, W.Andresen headed a centre from Arnesen on to the bar but quickly latched on to the rebound to shoot past Swift. This opened the game up considerably for a few minutes and England were forced back as Norway pressed for an equaliser. Twice Thorsen caused Swift to fumble the ball but England escaped and the fight-back was short-lived. In fact the visitors soon increased their lead when Spydevold had the misfortune to divert a long job by Mannion wide of his own goalkeeper.

With 20 minutes of the game remaining, man of the match Morris gained his reward for a fine display with a piece of high speed thinking as he shot home over a crowd of players into the unguarded net.
  

              Match Report by Norman Giller

Frank Swift, one of the all-time great goalkeepers, made his farewell appearance in a comfortable canter against the amateurs of Norway. Derby inside-right Johnny Morris scored on his England debut. Much of England's play was of the exhibition variety, with Finney and Mannion parading their skill. Southampton right-back Billy Ellerington won the first of his two caps, and Jimmy Dickinson, Pompey's Mr. Consistent, started his run of 48 England appearances. Wright, Franklin and Dickinson constituted as solid a looking half-back line as has appeared in England jerseys since the days of Britton, Cullis and Mercer. They had an iron grip on the Norwegian forwards, and Wright found time to prompt the attack with penetrating passes.
 

              Match Report appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1949-50, page 26

Typically English weather greeted the arrival of the 'A' team in Oslo, as it was raining in torrents when the aircraft touched down. The match against Norway took place on May 18th. Several changes were made from the side that lost to Sweden.
England's first goal came in the fifth minute from Mullen's left foot on a pass from Mannion. Finney got the second goal after a beautiful movement. Wright began it, putting through to Mannion who transferred the ball to Finney who rattled the net with a stinging drive.
The Norwegians reduced the deficit five minutes after the interval, centre-forward Willy Andersen netting from the rebound after the inside-right had hit the crossbar. There was now a struggle for ascendancy, although England were obviously masters of the situation. England got her third goal as a result of a defensive error. The goalkeeper slipped as the right-back, Spydevold, pushed the ball back to him and it travelled on into the net.
England's fourth goal was also purely the result of a defensive error. The Norwegian goalkeeper came out of his goal too soon and allowed Morris to put the ball neatly wide of his reach into the net.

 

     In Other News....
It was on 18 May 1949 that the House of Lords approved the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty and the creation of NATO, acknowledging that the lack of cooperation of the Soviet Union since the war and its insistence in furthering its own influence to the detriment of other nations had led inevitably to this new collective defence organisation of twelve states to maintain the future peace.
  
              Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record

Norman Giller, Football Author
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