FIVE thousand British troops, packed among the 40,000 Germans, tossed Union Jacks high into the air here today as England's 'B' team punctuated the second half with goals Nos, 2, 3 and 4.
Our selectors must have been pleased with those last 45 minutes when our youngsters played with poise and sometimes the brilliance of a great England team of the future.
Bedford Jezzard scored three of our goals. It was he who shot the heart right out of a poor German side. Ludwig Kwaitkowski, 25-year-old Dortmund goalkeeper, stood between Germany and Soccer disaster. He robbed Jezzard of three further goals and his gathering of crosses from the touch-lines was the finest I have ever seen—and the bravest as well.
Major England successes of the match, apart from Jezzard, were the Manchester United pair, left-back Roger Byrne and 17-year-old left-half Duncan Edwards.
Edwards, from Dudley, is in the mold of Wilf Copping. I hope our selectors name him next Monday to play against Scotland in Glasgow on Saturday week.
thousands of German eyes closed in suspense when this young giant moved into a tackle. I did not envy the five green-shirted German forwards. Harry Clarke also brimmed over with firm, but fair determination. Ultimately all the home forwards, woefully weak in the penalty area, had to listen to angry whistles from the terraces.
Byrne and Ken Armstrong, the Chelsea right-half, who did well after a shaky start, should also be at Hampden Park. And Johnny Haynes, Fulham's cheeky 19-year-old inside-left, did nothing to prejudice his chances. To the team manager, Walter Winterbottom, goes a share of the credit for this boost to our Soccer morale.
After Jezzard had snatched his first goal in 12 minutes, the white shirts of England retreated to pack the penalty area. That policy brought us to the brink of defeat—and silenced the khaki patches in the crowd. thousands of Germans, perched high in the silver birches in the Stadium car parks, risked their necks as they stretched to watch the green shirts storm round England's goal.
We had no forward, except Jezzard, sufficiently upfield to challenge the German backs or even the half-backs.
Fortunately, England, too, had a fine goalkeeper in Ted Burgin, but two good shots in the German attack might have won the game. Winterbottom's words at half-time changed the policy of retreat.
Kwaitkowski made three magnificent saves in the first five minutes of the second half before a fine pass by Haynes opened Germany's defence. Inside-right Les Shannon, his first shot smothered, scored with the second. In 66 minutes Byrne and George Robb paved the way for Jezzard's second goal, and his third, in 89 minutes was laid on by Shannon.
German football, I think, has reached a standard far higher than this team would indicate. Of 17 post-war international matches they have won 11 and drawn three. But only right-back Rudi Deinart, only Berliner in the line-up, and, of course, Herr Goalkeeper, measured up to that form.