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Match
Summary |
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Officials
from Netherlands |
England |
Type |
Belgium |
Referee
(-) - Leonard
Sylvain Horn
x (-).
Linesmen -
J. Bronkhorst (flame flag) and
K. Schipper (orange flag).
The teams were presented to the
Guest of Honour, The Duke of Gloucester, prior to the match.
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.
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Goal Attempts |
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Attempts on Target |
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|
Hit Bar/Post |
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Corner Kicks Won |
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|
Offside Calls Against |
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Fouls Conceded |
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Possession |
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England
Team |
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|
Rank: |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 4th |
Colours: |
The 1949 home
uniform -
White collared jerseys, blue shorts, black socks
with white tops. |
Capt: |
Billy Wright, 31st captaincy |
Manager:
Trainer: Jimmy Trotter (Charlton Athletic FC) |
Walter Winterbottom, 39 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
49th match, W 33 - D 9 - L 7 - F 149 - A 57.
Team chosen by Selection Committee headed by Harold Shentall, on Tuesday, 18
November 1952 in Sheffield. |
England
Lineup |
|
Merrick, Gilbert H. |
30 |
26 January 1922 |
G |
Birmingham City FC |
9 |
10 GA |
2 |
Ramsey, Alfred E. |
32 |
22 January 1920 |
RB |
Tottenham Hotspur FC |
25 |
1 |
3 |
Smith, Lionel |
32 |
23 August 1920 |
LB |
Arsenal FC |
5 |
0 |
4 |
Wright, William A. |
28 |
6 February 1924 |
RHB |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC |
46 |
3 |
5 |
Froggatt, Jack |
30 |
17 November 1922 |
CHB |
Portsmouth FC |
11 |
2 |
6 |
Dickinson, James
W. |
27 |
24 April 1925 |
LHB |
Portsmouth
FC |
23 |
0 |
7 |
Finney,
Thomas |
30 |
5 April 1922 |
OR |
Preston
North End FC |
42 |
21 |
8 |
Bentley,
T.F. Roy |
28 |
17 May 1924 |
IR |
Chelsea
FC |
8 |
3 |
9  |
Lofthouse, Nathaniel |
27 |
27 August 1925 |
CF |
Bolton Wanderers FC |
11 |
14 |
10 |
Froggatt, Redfern |
28 |
23 August 1924 |
IL |
Sheffield Wednesday FC |
2 |
1 |
11
  |
Elliott, William H. |
27 |
20 March 1925 |
OL |
Burnley FC |
5 |
3 |
unused
substitutes: |
Ted Ditchburn (Tottenham Hotspur FC),
Joe Kennedy (West Bromwich
Albion FC) and
Dennis Wilshaw (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC). Wilshaw damaged his
ankle in his club's league match the previous Saturday, his place
going to
Ronnie Allen (West Bromwich Albion FC) on 24 November. |
team notes: |
Players once again trained on the ground of Chelsea FC, Stamford
Bridge. Billy Wright extends his record appearance tally, also
making this the most experienced post-war team England have fielded.
Not since their second
WCF match in 1950 against USA have England fielded an unchanged
side. It was after this
match, at a banquet at a Park Lane Hotel in London, that Billy Wright
received an award, an illuminated address, for becoming England's most
capped player. |
records: |
This is the fourth match unbeaten at Wembley by England, equalling a
pre-war record. |
|
2-3-5 |
Merrick - Ramsey, Smith - Wright, J.Froggatt,
Dickinson - Finney, Bentley, Lofthouse, R.Froggatt,
Elliott. |
Averages: |
Age |
29.0 |
Appearances/Goals |
17.0 |
3.9 |
|
|
Belgium
Team |
|
|
Rank: |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 27th to 28th |
Colours: |
Red lace-up collared jerseys, black shorts, black socks with yellow
tops. |
Capt: |
Jef Mermans |
Manager: |
William Joseph Gormlie (b.mid-1911 in Toxteth Park,
England). Team chosen on Monday, 17 November 1952. |
Belgium
Lineup |
|
Boogaerts, Ferdinand P. |
31 |
25 February 1921 |
G |
Royal Standard de Liége |
6 |
24
GA |
2 |
Diricx, Henri |
25 |
7 July 1927 |
RB |
Union St. Gilloise |
5 |
0 |
3 |
Van Brandt, Alfons |
25 |
24 June 1927 |
LB |
Koninklijke Lierse Sk |
5 |
0 |
4 |
Mees, victor |
25 |
26 January 1927 |
RHB |
Royal Antwerp FC |
22 |
0 |
5 |
Carr�, Louis |
27 |
7 January 1925 |
CHB |
RFC Liégeois |
27 |
0 |
6 |
Maertens, Robert |
22 |
24 January 1930 |
LHB |
Royale Antwerp FC |
6 |
0 |
7 |
Lemberechts, victor |
28 |
15 May 1924 |
OR |
KV Mechelen |
31 |
10 |
8 |
Van Der Auwera, Jan |
28 |
9 January 1924 |
IR |
RC Mechelen |
19 |
0 |
9 |
Mermans, Joseph |
30 |
16 February 1922 |
IL |
RSC Anderlecht |
36 |
23 |
10 |
Coppens, Henri F.L. |
22 |
29 April 1930 |
CF |
Royale Bierschot AC |
12 |
3 |
11 |
Straetmans, Jean |
21 |
26 September 1931 |
OL |
Royale White Star AC |
1 |
0 |
unused
substitutes: |
Armand Seghers, Willy Saeren, Pol Anoul, Michel Bensch. |
team notes: |
The Belgians made a forward switch, Mermans and Coppens swapping
positions. |
|
2-3-5 |
Boogaerts - Diricx, Van Brandt - Mees, Carr�, Maertens -
Lemberechts, Van Der Auwera, Coppens, Mermans, Straetmans |
Averages: |
Age |
25.8 |
Appearances/Goals |
15.5 |
3.3 |
|
|
Match Report
by Mike Payne |
On
a bitterly cold day and, with a pitch covered in icy patches, England
produced another fine performance to continue their good run. Belgium
became the latest vićtims of the unbeaten home record against continental
sides and they ended the match well beaten.
England's recent
good form has coincided with the excellent play of two players in
particular. Redfern Froggatt and Nat Lofthouse have been superb with
Lofthouse especially the outstanding star of the England side.
The Duke of Gloucester was the VIP
guest and he, and the rest of the disappointing crowd of 65,000, enjoyed
some sparkling football.
England took the lead early on, a
familiar pattern, when Tom Finney fed a lovely pass to Lofthouse. He
nodded it down to his right foot before crashing a drive against the
Belgium crossbar. When the rebound came out, Billy Elliott was on hand to
hit a firm shot wide of Boogaerts.
From that moment, England rarely
lost control. Playing neat and constructive football they continually
split the Belgium defence to set up many chances. Roy Bentley missed, so
did Finney but, shortly before half-time, the deserved second goal duly
arrived. It was a real beauty.
Redfern Froggatt made another good
break, this time down the left. When his centre came over, Finney and
Bentley combined well to set up Lofthouse. Again, he fired in a fierce
shot, which this time went in off the crossbar.
Six minutes into
the second half, England emphasised their dominance with a third goal.
This time Finney sent Bentley away down the left. He carefully measured a
lovely cross into the middle where Lofthouse's challenge forced Boogaerts
to fumble, allowing Elliott the chance to shoot home from close range as
the ball fell loose.
It was all England now and on the hour they
scored again. Redfern Froggatt, who had already missed several good
chances including a sitter just previously, this time made no mistake when
he headed home Finney's free-kick perfectly.
Apart from the
occasional break from the hard working Coppings and Mermans, Belgium had
little to offer although it must be said that England's defence held
together brilliantly to emphasise what a good team performance it had
been.
With the second half being played in driving sleet, the
conditions were awful but nonetheless the football certainly warmed the
crowd. Belgium did make a spirited rally towards the end and at last gave
Gil Merrick something to warm him up. But the final word had to come from
the man Lofthouse.
He rose superbly to head in Bentley's precise
cross to round off a fine performance and another excellent result.
|
Match Report
by Norman Giller |
Nat Lofthouse kept up his one-man
bombardment with a double strike that took his haul to nine goals in five
games. Redfern Froggatt scored his first goal for England, and Burnley
winger Billy Elliott netted twice against the outplayed Belgians. The game
was played in a driving sleet, and ice patches formed on the famous
Wembley turf, making it difficult for defenders to keep their feet.
England led 2-0 at the end of a first-half in which they might have had
half a dozen goals against a completely outplayed Belgian team.
|
Match Report
by Glen Isherwood |
Belgium had appeared at Wembley
twice before in unofficial internationals. England had never failed to
beat them at home but had lost 3-2 in Brussels in 1936. Belgium had not
competed in the 1950 World Cup. England took the lead in only the fourth
minute. Lofthouse hit a thunderous shot against the bar and Billy Elliott
scored from the rebound.
Just before the interval Finney
and Bentley neatly prised open the Belgian defence and Nat Lofthouse
unleashed another powerful shot which this time went in off the bar. Three
minutes after the break, from a Bentley cross, Lofthouse challenged
Boogaerts and Elliott slotted in his second. The fourth came after an hour
with Redfern Froggatt heading in a Finney free kick. Lofthouse scored the
fifth with a header from Bentley's cross.
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The
Top Twelve UK Music Chart
by New Musical Express |
On Friday, 15 November 1952, The
New Musical Express
published the first ever singles chart in the UK. It comprised fifteen
records occupying twelve positions. Al Martino's
Here in My Heart
was therefore the best selling single when
England beat Belgium. The second week of the published chart on Friday, 21
November looked like this...
1. |
(=) |
Here In My Heart
- Al
Martino
(Capitol) |
7. |
(=) |
High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)
- Frankie Laine
(Colombia) |
2. |
(5) |
Feet
Up (Pat Him On The Po-Po)
- Guy Mitchell
(Colombia) |
8. |
(11) |
Because You're Mine
- Mario Lanza (HMV) |
3. |
(6) |
Half As Much
- Rosemary Clooney
(Colombia) |
9. |
Take My Heart
- Al Martino
(Capitol) |
4. |
(=) |
The Isle of Innisfree
-
Bing Crosby (Brunswick) |
10. |
My Love and Devotion
- Doris Day (Colombia) |
5. |
(2) |
You
Belong To Me
-
Jo Stafford
(Colombia) |
11. |
(9) |
The Homing Waltz
-
Vera Lynn
(Decca) |
6. |
(3) |
Somewhere Along The Way
- Nat 'King'Cole
(Capitol) |
12. |
(8) |
Sugarbush -
Doris Day & Frankie Laine
(Colombia) |
♪Most weeks at number one when England
played: Al
Martino..... one |
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Source Notes |
TheFA.com Belgianfootball.be Original newspaper reports Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record
(Breedon Books Publishing Company, Derby, U.K., 1993)
Glen Isherwood's Wembley: The Complete Record (SportsBooks
Limited, Cheltenham, U.K., 2006)
Norman Giller, Football Author Neil Warwick, John
Kutner & Tony Brown's The Complete Book of the British Charts
(Omnibus Press, 2004)
____________________
CG
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