England Football Online
Results 1946-1950                      Page Last Updated 14 April 2023

Française

 
232 vs. France
 
246 vs. Sweden
'B' 03 vs. Finland
previous match (4 days)
247 vs. Norway
'B' 04 vs. Netherlands
248
next match
(122 days)
249 vs. Republic of Ireland


265 vs. France
 
2.45 Down Your Way 3.30 Bing Sings 3.45 "Take It From Here."
4.15
France v. England
5.0 Britain Quiz 5.30 Hi Gang
Sunday, 22 May 1949
End-of-Season Continental Tour Match


France 1 England 3
[1-2]
 
 
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, Paris, Île-de-France
Kick-off (CET): 3.00pm 3.00pm BST.

Attendance: 61,308.
France kicked-off
[1-0] Georges Moreel 1 0:33
 Williams misjudged the bouncing ball that Moreel pounced upon.
other sources state it was scored after 28 seconds

[1-1] Johnny Morris 8
from 3 yards following a Jack Rowley pass
[1-2] Billy Wright 24
from 6 yard line following another Jack Rowley through-ball
  [1-3] Johnny Morris volley 86
right-footed volley from 8 yards from a useful Jack Rowley pass
second half live on the Radio Light Programme - Commentator: tbc
 
"ENGLAND END TOUR WITH A PARIS WIN" Daily Mirror
Officials France FIFA ruling on substitutes England Party
Referee (black)
Karel Louis van der Meer
43 (29 July 1905), Den Haag, Netherlands.
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.
Linesmen
tbc tbc
Attended by the British Foreign Minister, Ernest Bevin.
 
France Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 22nd
Colours Blue jerseys with buttoned-up collars, white shorts, red socks.
Captain Albert Batteux Selection Selection Committee.
Trainer: Paul Baron
France Lineup
  Vignal, René 22
283 days
12 August 1926 G RC de Paris 3 9ᵍᵃ
2 Grillon, André 27
202 days
1 November 1921 RB Stade français-Red Star 10 0
3 Salva, Marcel 26
233 days
1 October 1922
in Algeria
LB RC de Paris 9 0
4 Jonquet, Robert 24
19 days
3 May 1925 RHB Stade de Reims 4 0
5 Hon, Louis 24
253 days
11 September 1924 CHB Stade français-Red Star 6 0
6 Mindonnet, Roger 24
149 days
24 December 1924 LHB OGC Nice Côte d'Azur 2 0
7 Gabet, Roger 25
161 days
12 December 1923 OR RC de Paris 3 0
final app 1949
8 Cuissard, Antoine 24
307 days
19 July 1924 IR AS de Saint-Étienne Loire 17 1
9 Quenolle, Roger 23
307 days
19 July 1925 CF RC de Paris 1 0
10 Batteux, Albert 29
324 days
2 July 1919 IL Stade de Reims 6 1
11
Moreel, Georges 24
304 days
22 July 1924 OL RC de Paris 1 1
only app 1949
unused substitutes: Paul Sinibaldi (Stade de Reims), Pierre Sinibaldi (Stade de Reims) and Jean Lechantre (Lille OSC)
 
2-3-5 Vignal -
Grillom, Salva -
Jouquet, Hon, Mindonnet -
Gabet, Guissard, Quenelle, Batteux, Moreel.
Averages: Age 25 years 200 days Appearances/Goals 5.6 0.1
 
England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 5th to 3rd
Colours The 1949 home uniform - White collared jerseys, blue shorts, black socks with white tops.
P 4th of 43, W 2 - D 0 - L 2 - F 9 - A 8.

Captain
Billy Wright
Manager Walter Winterbottom, 36 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
7th of 90, W 5 - D 0 - L 2 - F 22 - A 10. Trainer: Jimmy Trotter (Charlton Athletic FC) P 22nd of 139, W 16 - D 3 - L 3 - F 75 - A 22.
¹ Party chosen by Selection Committee headed by Arthur Drewry, team chosen on Friday, 20 May.
England Lineup
  two changes to the previous match (Williams & Rowley>Swift & Mortensen out) FINAL league positions (7 May)  
71   Williams, Bert F. 29
111 days
31 January 1920 G Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 6th) 1 1ᵍᵃ
686 the 21st Wanderer to represent England
2 Ellerington, William 25
326 days
30 June 1923 RB Southampton FC (FL2 third) 2 0
final app 1949
3 Aston, John 27
171 days
3 September 1921 LB Manchester United FC (FL RU) 7 0
4
Wright, William A. 25
105 days
6 February 1924 RHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 6th) 22 1
first non-forward to score post-war.
5 Franklin, Cornelius 27
118 days
24 January 1922 CHB Stoke City FC (FL 11th) 22 0
6 Dickinson, James W. 24
28 days
24 April 1925 LHB Portsmouth FC (FL CHAMPIONS) 2 0
7 Finney, Thomas 27
47 days
5 April 1922 OR Preston North End FC (FL 21st rel.) 18 14
8
Morris, John 25
237 days
27 September 1923 IR Derby County FC (FL 3rd) 2 3
the 147th (14th post-war) brace scored
9
Rowley, John F. 30
227 days
7 October 1918 CF Manchester United FC (FL RU) 3 1
10 Mannion, Wilfred J. 31
6 days
16 May 1918 IL Middlesbrough FC (FL 19th) 15 8
11 Mullen, James 26
136 days
6 January 1923 OL Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 6th) 3 1
unused substitutes: Bill Jones (Liverpool FC (FL 12th)), Stan Mortensen (Blackpool FC (FL 16th)), Dennis Wilshaw (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 6th))
records: For the third time, England have played eight matches in a season.
captain records: Billy Wright is the first captain to score since May 1939.
goalscoring records: For the first time post-war, there are four England players recorded as the season's top goalscoerers, all with three goals each. Stan Mortensen, top goalscorer for the second consecutive season, played in five matches, Jackie Milburn in four, Tom Finney in six and Johnny Morris in just two matches.
 
2-3-5 Williams -
Ellerington, Aston -
Wright, Franklin, Dickinson -
Finney, Morris, Rowley, Mannion, Mullen.
Averages: Age 27 years 109 days Appearances/Goals 8.8 2.3
 
              Match Report by Mike Payne

England completed their summer tour with a splendid win in Paris, recovering from a disastrous start. On a very hot, sunny afternoon and on a pitch like concrete, the visitors made a terrible start. Within 30 seconds France were ahead. A couple of mistakes by Bert Williams and Neil Franklin let Moreel in to score. It was a real danger-thrust to the heart for England and it inspired the passionate crowd of over 61,000 people.

A lesser team would have crumbled under such pressure but as it was the England players knuckled down and fought back magnificently. Overcoming some fierce 'continental tackling' they gradually got to grips with the midfield battle.

It took only eight minutes for them to find an equaliser. Johnny Morris found Jimmy Dickinson with a neat flick. Dickinson then sent Jack Rowley clear down the left with a lovely through-ball. When the cross came over fast and low into the box, there was Morris, up with the attack, to finish off the move he had started back in his own half.

It was a memorable goal and for the next 15 minutes fast counter-attacking by both sides, a feature of the match, tested the defences as each team strove for the upper hand. Dickinson was an inspiration with a powerful display and Williams also did well, especially considering his shaky start. After 26 minutes England snatched the lead.

Morris, Jimmy Mullen, Wilf Mannion and Rowley all took part in a fine move down the left flank. At the end of it, Rowley placed a pass diagonally into space some 12 yards from goal. Suddenly, from nowhere, came Billy Wright speeding in to shoot past Vignal. Shortly afterwards the goalkeeper made a superb save from Morris as England ended the half in a much better frame of mind than they had started it.

France fought hard for a 20-minute spell at the start of the second half. They strung together some excellent moves and Moreel missed one particular good chance. But by now England were looking much more solid with Franklin in complete command. With Morris and, especially, Mannion dominating the midfield England always looked capable of scoring again and this they did with four minutes to go, when Morris put the result beyond doubt.

Tom Finney, who had been the best forward on view with his play doing as much as anyone to open up the French defence, was in great form and Rowley, too was impressive and he added life to the centre of the attack. Altogether it was a very satisfying result for England.
  

              Match Report by Norman Giller

Making his debut in the England goal, Wolves custodian Bert 'The Cat' Williams was beaten after just 28 seconds by an instant goal from French debutant Georges Moreel. The match was played under a boiling sun and on a Colombes Stadium pitch as hard as concrete. Billy Wright made it a match to remember in the twenty-sixth minute by scoring his first international goal. It was the first goal scored for England by a non-forward since the war. Johnny Morris netted twice, including a late victory-clinching goal in the eighty-sixth minute that silenced the 61,500 shirt-sleeved Parisian spectators.
  

              Match Report as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1949-50, pages 26 & 27

The final match of the tour, against France, was played on Sunday, May 22nd, in the famous Colombes Stadium, in Paris.
The game began with a shock, for France got a 'gift' goal thirty-three seconds from kick-off, which is believed to be the quickest goal ever scored against England. It happened as a result of Williams misjudging a bouncing ball, coupled with the opportunism of the French left-winger who quickly had the ball into the net. It said much for the Englishmen that they refused to allow this upset to rattle them and it was not long before they equalised with a goal by Morris.
It was now anyone's game, but within three minutes England took the lead. Mannion began the movement, which was continued by Rowley, who put the ball through to an open space for England's captain, Wright, to rush up and score before the goalkeeper had time to move.

France went quickly into the attack on the resumption, but missed some golden opportunities owing to weak finishing. It was not until just before the end that another goal came, through Morris, who completed a useful pass from Rowley. This settled the issue by 3 goals to 1.

The tour ended on Tuesday, May 24th, when the party flew back to London. It had been a strenuous time, but the effort had been worth while. As the British Minister to Finland, Mr Oswald Scott modestly told the team, they had been able, by their play and sportsmanship. to do more for international relationships in one afternoon than he was able to do as a Minister in a whole year.
 

     In Other News....
It was on 22 May 1949 that 57-year-old, James Forrestal, who had resigned as the first United States Secretary of Defense, two months earlier, was killed when he fell from a 16th-floor window at the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland, where he was being treated for severe depression. 
  
              Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
FFF.fr
Allezlesbleus.free.fr
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record

Norman Giller, Football Author
British Pathé
cgi