"FRANK SWIFT STOPPED SCOTS WITH TWO FRACTURED RIBS" Sunday Mirror

Finney and Mortensen scored a goal each in a rough-house of a match. Goalkeeper Frank Swift insisted on playing on after being knocked out in a collision with 'Flying Scot' Billy Liddell. A crowd of 135,376 saw England clinch the Home Championship, despite having skipper George Hardwick limping on the wing with a knee injury that was to finish his international career. Finney gave England the lead a minute before half-time at the end of a four-man passing movement that started in their own goal area. Lifted by the famous Hampden Roar, Scotland dominated play early in the second-half, but a 64th minute goal from Mortensen after he had combined with Lawton knocked the fight out of the Scots. Swift later collapsed on the railway platform at Manchester and was wheeled off on a porter's trolley for an examination which revealed that he had two broken ribs. The Scots kicked everything that moved, and often it wasn't the ball! Stan Pearson, the Manchester United inside-forward, was making his debut and said afterwards that he was shocked by the viciousness of the tackling because he had always thought international football was gentlemanly compared with club football. It was one of the toughest ever home internationals.
    

The last of the Internationals of the season, Scotland v. England, at Hampden Park on April 10, 1948, was as full of drama as it was empty of science. With both Scotland and Ireland out of the running for the International Championship, Wales was one point ahead of England who had to win the match to win the tournament. They did so, but only in face of certain tactics by Scotland that upset the scientific smoothness of England's style and introduced a note of ferocity into what should have been one of the best games of the season. Swift was charged so roughly in the second half that, as was discovered later, one of his ribs was cracked; Young, the outstanding Scottish defender, suffered a head wound. The Hampden crowd certainly saw a gladiatorial show, but the game was a disappointment to the true football lover.
The first goal came as a surprise, as it was entirely out of the run of play. The pall passed from the English goalkeeper to the Scottish net without a single Scottish player touching it; Swift cleared to Lawton, who passed to Pearson, and the latter sent the ball on to Finney who scored. For the rest of the first half there was no further score.
It was nineteen minutes after the interval that Mortensen got England's second goal from a pass by Lawton. Scotland pressed hard, but Hardwick was a powerful defender and alone saved the English goal from two dangerous attacks. The last 20 minutes saw England in charge of the game which came to a dull finish.
Thus England won the Championship after a season of brilliant football that will long be remembered. Apart from the individual brilliance of the members of the team, their successes have in no small measure been due to the wise policy of the Selection Committee, under the leadership of Mr. A. Drewry. This committee, itself since the war smaller and with a more static membership, has aimed to make the team as stable as possible. The team for each match has been chosen from a steady group of about 16 players, who have gone onto the field without the feeling that they may be dropped unless they play an outstanding game. This continuity, together with the appointment of a regular team manager, trainer, and masseur, and a scientific system of training, has allowed them to get to know each other's idiosyncrasies and to move as a well-coordinated unit.