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B22
The Iron Curtain 'B' Tour
next match (7 days)
'B' 23 vs. Romania
'B' 24 vs. Czechoslovakia
 
next senior match (153 days)
308 vs. Wales
Sunday, 19 May 1957
International 'B' Iron Curtain Tour Match


Bulgaria 2 England 1
[1-1]

 
Stadion Vasil Levski, Sredets, Sofija
Kick-off (CEST):
tbc pm tbc pm BST
Attendance: '55,000'
unknown kicked-off  
[1-0] Todor Diev 28
 'Kostov and Abadjiev sliced up England's defective left flank and Kostov's final pass served up a couldn't miss chance for Diev'


[1-1] Brian Clough header 29
'Shaw swung out a long pass to Alan A'Court, who charged up to the line before crossing a centre which was headed home'
 
[2-1] Pavel Vladimirov header 75
 Kostov's free-kick found Vladimirov's head
(Neal fouled Kostov)
   
   
Expulsion: Stan Anderson 75
 
There is no Television or Radio coverage
 
Anderson's sending off? - What they said.....
"for openly retaliating in an incident when the ball was out of play"
The Football Association Yearbook 1957-58, although making a rudimentary report on the match, made no mention of Anderson's indiscretion.
"Anderson was involved in an incident with Bulgaria's outside-left Badjiev." - Daily News
"England were going all out for the equaliser when slim, dark-haired Anderson, running over to take a throw-in a few yards from the Bulgarian goal-line, appeared to kick Batchev from behind, above the ankle. The left-winger collapsed in agony and the concrete bowl stadium seemed to erupt in protest. Immediately referee Stefan Jolt, of Budapest, who was only a few yards from the incident, waved Anderson off the field."
- Daily Herald.
The Day after the match, the referee, and the Bulgaria F.A. dropped their threat to report Anderson to FIFA, allowing instead, for the Football Association to deal with the matter.
"I learnt today an astounding piece of news which throws a completely different light on this hammer-blow to British sporting prestige and one which explains why Bulgarian Football officials and Press make so light of the incident. For. . .
   Doicho Batchev, the 20-year-old left winger who was fouled by Anderson, is the bad boy of Bulgarian football, with a reputation for dirty play. . . Last season he was suspended for a year for rough tactics. The ban was lifted after a month.
The star of Sunday's game—23-year-old Alex Kostov—is another Bulgar once suspended for a year. The ban was also lifted in his case after a month. These two facts may have a vital effect on the international future of still-worried 22-year-old Stan Anderson."
- Peter Lorenzo
"There is a felling here that Anderson might have been subjected to more provocation than the referee realised." - Frank McGhee
"ANDERSON SENT OFF AS BULGARIANS BOO" Daily News
Officials from Hungary Bulgaria FIFA ruling on substitutes England
Referee
Stefan Jolt
Budapest
The Bulgarian President (Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly), Georgi Damyanov, was a spectator
Linesmen
tbc tbc
     
Bulgaria B Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established; Colours probably white jerseys, green shorts
Captain to be confirmed Selection Team chosen on Friday, 17 May 1957.
Bulgaria Lineup
  Derventski, Ivan P. 24
341 days
12 June 1932 G SC Levski    
2 RB
3       LB      
4       RHB      
5 Manolov, Manol 31
288 days
4 August 1925 CHB CDNA Sofia    
6 Stoyanov, Gavril 27
197 days
9 July 1929 LHB CDNA Sofia    
7
Kostov, Aleksander 23
78 days
2 March 1934 OR SC Levski
8 Abadjiev, Stefan 22
202 days
3 July 1934 IR SC Levski    
9
Diev, Todor 23
111 days
28 January 1934 CF PFC Spartak Plovdiv
10
Vladimirov, Pavel 22
278 days
14 August 1934 IL CDNA Sofia    
11 Bachev, Doicho nk not known OL VVS Sofia    
unused substitutes: not known
 
2-3-5 Derventski -
-
Manolov -
Kostov, Abadjiev, Diev, Vladimirov, Bachev
Averages: Age   Appearances/Goals    
 
England B Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established; Colours probably the 1954 Umbro away uniform - Red v-necked short-sleeved continental jerseys, white shorts, red socks with white tops.

Captain
Trevor Smith Team Manager William Edward Nicholson, 43 (26 January 1919), also manager of Tottenham Hotspur FC.
only B, W 0 - D 0 - L 1 - F 1 - A 2. first of three B matches, W 0 - D 0 - L 1 - F 1 - A 2.
  Team chosen by the Intermediate Selection Committee, headed by Frank Adams, on Friday, 17 May.
England Lineup
  eight changes to the previous B match (Anderson, Smith & Clough remain) FINAL league positions (1 May)
14   Hopkinson, Edward 21
202 days
29 October 1935 G Bolton Wanderers FC (FL 9th) 1 2ᵍᵃ
134
135 2 Armfield, James 21
240 days
21 September 1935 RB Blackpool FC (FL 4th) 1 0
136 3 Shaw, Graham L. 22
314 days
9 July 1934 LB Sheffield United FC (FL2 7th) 1 0
only B app 1957
4 Anderson, Stanley 23
81 days
27 February 1934 RHB
 
Sunderland AFC (FL 20th)
 
2 0
first ever England expulsion
75th min. for kicking out at Doicho Batchev as he was retrieving the ball final B app 1957
       
5 Smith, Trevor 21
36 days
13 April 1936 CHB Birmingham City FC (FL 12th) 3 0
137 6 Neal, Richard M. 23
230 days
1 October 1933 LHB Birmingham City FC (FL 12th) 1 0
only B app 1957
7 Douglas, Bryan 22
357 days
27 May 1934 OR Blackburn Rovers FC (FL2 4th) 2 0
138 8 Bloomfield, James H. 23
93 days
15 February 1934 IR Arsenal FC (FL 5th) 1 0
only B app 1957
9
Clough, Brian H. 22
59 days
21 March 1935 CF Middlesbrough FC (FL2 6th) 2 2
final B app 1957
139 10 Kevan, Derek T. 22
74 days
6 March 1935 IL West Bromwich Albion FC (FL 11th) 1 0
11
A'Court, Alan 22
231 days
30 September 1934 OL Liverpool FC (FL2 3rd) 4 2
unused substitutes: Alan Hodgkinson (Sheffield United FC (FL2 7th)) and Maurice Norman (Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL RU)).
team notes: The players had a twelve hour journey getting to Sofija the day before the match. Leaving London Airport North (KL126) for Amsterdam, then onto Frankfurt (KL297), before eventually arriving in Sofia and greeted with a substandard Sera Hotel in the capital, with below-par food.
 
2-3-5 Hopkinson -
Armfield, Shaw -
Anderson, Smith, Neal -
Douglas, Bloomfield, Clough, Kevan, A'Court.
Averages: Age 22 years 175 years Appearances/Goals 1.7 0.2
 
             Match Report by Peter Lorenzo, Daily Herald, Monday, 20 May 1957

Fifty-five thousand angry, fist-waving Bulgars packing the National Stadium, went whistling made 15 minutes from the end of a stormy match when Sunderland's Stan Anderson, right-half in the England Under-23 [ed: B] team, was sent off the field after a bad foul against the Bulgarian outside-left, Doicho Batchev.
England were going all out for the equaliser when slim, dark-haired Anderson, running over to take a throw-in a few yards from the Bulgarian goal-line, appeared to kick Batchev from behind, above the ankle. The left-winger collapsed in agony and the concrete bowl stadium seemed to erupt in protest. Immediately referee Stefan Jolt, of Budapest, who was only a few yards from the incident, waved Anderson off the field..
   SKIPPER TREVOR SMITH RACED UP TO PROTEST AND BECKONED ANDERSON TO STAY ON.
The whistling, jeers and boos was deafening. Play was held up for several minutes while Batchev received treatment and 200 white-coated Army cadets were signaled on to control around the pitch. Smith, getting no change from the adamant referee, called on England trainer-coach Billy Nicholson but their joint pleadings were in vain. Watching this unhappy scene from the stand were the Bulgarian President and a trade union delegation from Moscow.
  It was a thousand pities that this Iron Curtain tour should get off to such an unhappy start. But let there be no mistake, it was the only possible decision.

Referee Jolt told me afterwards: "Your Number Four—I do not know his name—kicked the Bulgarian from behind when the ball was out of play. I am awfully sorry, but it was a bad foul."
   GRIM-FACED FRANK ADAMS, CHAIRMAN OF ENGLAND INTERMEDIATE SELECTORS, SAID: "IT WAS A VERY BAD FOUL. THERE WAS NO POINT IN IT. I DON'T DISAGREE WITH THE DECISION.
   "Anderson says he was rushing to get the ball for the throw-in when this fellow came across him. He says he did not kick him. It was only his second foul of the game."
Only the pathetic shooting plus some world-class saves from Eddie Hopkinson saved our lads from a four or five goals drumming. Star of the scrappy game was Bulgaria's Stanley Matthews, Alex Kostov. He gave unhappy Graham Shaw a terrible shaking, and laid on both goals with brilliant trickery. The first came after 28 minutes, Kostov and his right-wing partner, Abadjiev, sliced up England's defective left flank and Kostov's final pass served up a couldn't miss chance for centre-forward Diev.
Within 30 seconds it was 1-1. Shaw swung out a long pass to Alan A'Court. The Liverpool left-winger charged up to the line before crossing a centre which Brian Clough headed home. The winning goal came in the 12th minute of the second half. Kostov fouled by Dick Neal lobbed the free-kick and Vladimirov scored.
  

             Match Report by Special Correspondent, Daily News, Monday, 20 May 1957

ENGLAND'S Soccer prestige took a severe knock when 55,000 Bulgarians booed and jeered as Sunderland's Stan Anderson walked dejectedly back to the dressing-room after being ordered off by Hungarian referee Stephen Jolt at the National Stadium.
There were just 15 minutes left of a quiet, unexciting game when Anderson was involved in an incident with Bulgaria's outside-left Badjiev's. Anderson himself had been previously kicked.
Before this England's understrength team were heading for defeat against a superior side. The Matthews-like dribbles and wizardry of outside-right Kostov bewildered the English defence, and unlike so many Continental sides the young Bulgarians had enough finishing power to twice beat the brilliant Eddie Hopkinson, in goal. His display yesterday, following his great performance against Old England at Highnury, has marked him as a serious challenger to Alan Hodgkinson in the full English side.
For the rest, only Blackburn's tricky little winger Bryan Douglas looked fit to play alongside Johnny Haynes, Duncan Edwards and Ron Clayton in Bucharest when they arrive from Dublin.
Centre-forward Diev chipped the ball over Hopkinson in 27 minutes, England equalised within 30 seconds when Brian Clough headed past Serventski from Alan A'Court's centre. Bulgaria's winner came 30 minutes half-time when inside-left Vladimirov nodded in Badjiev's pass.

  

             Match Report as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1957-58 page 35

England's Under-23 [ed: B] team began its en-of-season tour to the Balkans by playing Young Bulgaria at Sofia before 55,000. The game was rather tame and unexciting until the last quarter of an hour, but on the whole Bulgaria deserved her win. Their centre-forward scored a clever goal in the twenty-seventh minute, but Clough immediately equalised when he headed in a fine centre from A'Court. Thirty minutes after the interval, Bulgaria's inside-left headed the winning goal, England's best players were Hopkinson, who gave a great display in goal, and Douglas, a tricky winger.
  

             Source Notes
Official tour itinerary
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Original newspaper reports
cg