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Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera/Svizra

 
'B' 01 vs. Switzerland
 
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'B' 03 vs. Finland
Wednesday, 19 May 1948
End-of-Season Tour 'B' Friendly Match

 
Switzerland 1 England 5 [0-3]
 
Stadio Comunale, Bellinzona
Kick-off (CEST): tbc

Attendance: '10,000.'; 'before a crowd of 14,000.'
unknown kicked-off
   [0-1] Billy Wright 21
20-yard ground shot 'trickled past the keeper'
[0-1] Mortensen drive strikes crossbar
[0-2] Stan Mortensen 43
a piledriver
[0-3] Stan Mortensen 44
first time shot from a Mannion or Langton pass
 



 
[1-5] Robert Ballamann 88

 went in just under the bar
[0-4] Stan Pearson 50
placed the ball wide of the keeper from a Stan Mortensen pass
[0-5] Stan Mortensen 62 HAT-TRICK
went through after a Wilf Mannion flick
  
no TV or Radio coverage
 

"ENGLAND TROUNCE SWISS TEAM" - Yorkshire Observer

Officials         Switzerland FIFA ruling on substitutes

England Party

Referee
tbc
The Continental 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
   
Switzerland B Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established; Colours probably white jerseys, black shorts and black socks.
Captain   Manager Karl Rappan
Switzerland Lineup
  Eich, W.     G     ᵍᵃ
2 Quinche, Roger     RB      
3 Steffen, Willy     LB      
4 Boggia, A.     RHB      
5 Bocquet, Roger     CHB      
6 Ibach, A     LHB      
7 Weber     OR      
8 Antenen, Charly     IR      
9 Lusenti, Gerhard     CF      
10 Tamini, Jean     IL      
11 Ballaman, Robert     OL      
unused substitutes: -
 
2-3-5 Eich -
Quinche, Steffen -
Boggie, Bocquet, Ibach -
Weber, Antenen, Lusenti, Tamini, Ballaman
Averages: Age - Appearances/Goals - -
 
England B Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established; Colours The 1948 away uniform - Red jerseys with white collars, white shorts, red socks topped with white tops
Captain
Frank Swift Manager Walter Winterbottom, 35 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
only B, W 1 - D 0 - L 0 - F 5 - A 1. Trainer: Jesse Carver second of fourteen B matches, W 1 - D 1 - L 0 - F 5 - A 1.
Party chosen by the Intermediate Selection Committee, headed by Arthur Drewry, on Sunday, 25 April. Team chosen on Tuesday, 18 May.
England Lineup
  five changes to the previous B match FINAL league positions (1 May)  
  Swift, Frank V. 34
143 days
26 December 1913 G Manchester City FC (FL 10th) 2 1ᵍᵃ
oldest B player so far final B app 1947-48
12 2 Ramsey, Alfred E. 28
118 days
22 January 1920 RB Southampton FC (FL2 3rd) 1 0
only B app 1948
13 3 Aston, John 26
259 days
3 September 1921 LB Manchester United FC (FL RU) 1 0
only B app 1948
14 4 Nicholson, William E. 29
124 days
26 January 1919 RHB Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL2 8th) 1 0
5 Franklin, Cornelius 26
126 days
24 January 1922 LHB Stoke City FC (FL 15th) 2 0
final B app 1947-48
6
Wright, William A. 24
103 days
6 February 1924 CHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 5th) 2 1
final B app 1947-48
7 Finney, Thomas 26
44 days
5 April 1922 OR Preston North End FC (FL 7th) 2 0
final B app 1947-48
8
Mannion, Wilfred J. 29
3 days
16 May 1918 IR Middlesbrough FC (FL 16th) 2 0
9

Mortensen, Stanley H. 26
359 days
26 May 1921 CF Blackpool FC (FL 9th) 2    3  
most B goals 1948
final B app 1947-48
15 10 Pearson, Stanley C. 29
129 days
11 January 1919 IL Manchester United FC (FL RU) 1 1
only B app 1948
11 Langton, Robert 28
254 days
8 September 1918 OL Blackburn Rovers FC (FL 21st rel.) 2 0
unused substitutes: Laurie Scott (Arsenal FC (FL CHAMPIONS)), Jack Howe (Derby County FC (FL 4th)), Henry Cockburn (Manchester United FC (FL RU)), Stan Matthews (Blackpool FC (FL 9th)) and Tommy Lawton (Notts County FC (FL3s 6th)). Lawton was suffering with an injured groin.
Ted Ditchburn (Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL2 8th)) was a 'stay-at-home' reserve, in case of injury to Swift.
team notes: Those players winning a second B appearance all hold the record of most B appearances.
 
2-3-5 Swift  -
Ramsey, Aston -
Nicholson, Franklin, Wright -
Finney, Mannion, Mortensen, Pearson, Langton.
Averages: Age 28 years 118 days Appearances/Goals 1.7 0.0
oldest B team XI so far
 
        Match Report by the Yorkshire Observer, Thursday, 20 May 1948

England, with five changes from the team that beat Italy, gave the Swiss 'B' team a football lesson at Bellinzona, yesterday, winning by five goals to none.
The match was a personal triumph for Mortensen, the Blackpool forward, who scored three times and paved the way for a goal by Pearson (Manchester United). The other scorer was Wright, Wolverhampton half-back. The Swiss team's only goal came 7min. from the end.

Although completely outplayed, the home team never gave up trying. Steffen, right full-back who has played with Chelsea, was the pick of the Swiss, whose poor finishing and wild shooting wasted many chances.
England had an early escape when Ashton, under pressure, put the ball just wide of the post with an attempted pass-back to Swift. The first goal came in 21min., when Pearson fed Wright 20yd. out. The half-back's shot looked harmless enough, but it trickled past the Swiss goalkeeper.
Aston, the full-back was injured in a tackle and collapsed, but recovered after attention. England were well on top by this time, and Pearson made an opening for Mortensen, who scored after 43min. Just before half-time Mortensen added a third goal from a pass by Mannion.

In the second half Pearson and Mortensen added further goals, the last being from the best movement of the match. Nicholson, right-half, put the ball through to Mannion, and the inside right flicked it on to Mortensen, who made no mistake.
The Swiss had their reward near the end when outside-left Ballaman beat Swift with a shot that just went under the crossbar. Match attendance was 10,000."

  

        Match Report by the Birmingham Gazette, Thursday, 20 May 1948

A representative English side treated 10,000 enthusiastic Swiss soccer fans to a delightful exhibition of football in beating the Swiss 'B' side by five goals to one in the picturesque stadium in the mountains of Southern Switzerland at Bellinzona yesterday.
Stanley Mortensen, the Blackpool forward, was in brilliant form, scoring three times, and having a hand in the goal scored by Pearson. The other English scorer was Wright. Ballaman scored for the Swiss seven minutes from the end.
In the 30th minute, Mortensen shivered the crossbar with a terrific drive which the Swiss goalkeeper never saw, while eight minutes before Wright netted with aground shot from 30 yards. It was not until two minutes from the interval that the next goal came. Langton put through to Mortensen who, with a first time shot, easily beat Eich. Only a minute later Mortensen again netted with a powerful right foot drive.
It was Mortensen again who made England's fourth goal which came five minutes after the interval. He found Pearson unmarked and the Manchester United forward calmly placed the ball wide of the Swiss goalkeeper. England's fifth goal was the result of a lovely movement initiated by Nicholson. In the 62nd minute he put the ball through to Mannion, who flicked it to Mortensen and the great marksman scored his third goal. The Swiss, although completely outplayed, did not give up trying and they earned their reward when Ballaman beat Swift with a shot that just went under the crossbar."

 

        Match Report as reported in the F.A. Yearbook 1948-49, page 28

The English part after leaving Turin took the train for Bellinzona, where the match against Switzerland's 'B' eleven took place before a crowd of 14,000.
The game was one-sided from the start, and, except for a few isolated dashes by the Swiss forwards, most of the play took place in the Swiss half. The English team, which included all five reserves, gave a fine demonstration of how football should be played, and won by five goals to one.

 

        Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Billy Wright's My Football Pitch (1954)
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