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Page Last Updated 30 September 2017
 
247 Party vs. Norway
B Party vs. Netherlands
248
Sunday, 22 May 1949
End-of-Season Continental Tour Match


France 1 England 3
[1-2]
Match Summary
France Party
England Party

Team Records
 
X
The England Party for the tour of the Continent  May 1949
Player Birthdate Age Pos Club App G Capt
Aston, John 3 September 1921 27 LB Manchester United FC 6 0 0
Bentley, T.F. Roy 17 May 1924 24 CF Chelsea FC 1 0 0
Bentley returned home following the B matches.
Cockburn, Henry 14 September 1921 27 LHB Manchester United FC 10 0 0
Cockburn returned home following the B matches.
Dickinson, James W. 24 April 1925 24 L/RHB Portsmouth FC 1 0 0
Ditchburn, Edwin G. 24 October 1921 27 G Tottenham Hotspur FC 2 3ᵍᵃ 0
Ditchburn returned home following the B matches.
Ellerington, William 30 June 1923 25 RB Southampton FC 1 0 0
Finney, Thomas 5 April 1922 27 OR Preston North End FC 17 14 0
Franklin, Cornelius 24 January 1922 27 CHB Stoke City FC 21 0 0
Gibson, Colin H. 16 August 1923 25 OR Aston Villa FC 0 0 0
Gibson returned home following the B matches.
Harris, Peter P. 19 December 1925 23 OR Portsmouth FC 0 0 0
Harris withdrew from the Party before they left England.
Harrison, Walter E. 16 January 1923 26 HB Leicester City FC 0 0 0
Harrison returned home following the B matches.
Jones, William H. 13 May 1921 28 CHB Liverpool FC 0 0 0
Langton, Robert 8 September 1918 30 OL Preston North End FC 9 1 0
Langton returned home following the B matches.
Leuty, Leon 23 October 1920 28 CHB Derby County FC 0 0 0
Leuty returned home following the B matches.
Mannion, Wilfred J. 16 May 1918 30 IL Middlesbrough FC 14 8 0
Milburn, John E.T. 11 May 1924 25 CF Newcastle United FC 4 3 0
Jackie Milburn withdrew from the Party on 4 May.
Morris, John 27 September 1923 25 IR Derby County FC 2 1 0
Mortensen, Stanley H. 26 May 1921 27 IR Blackpool FC 12 14 0
Mullen, James 6 January 1923 26 OL Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 2 1 0
Nicholson, William E. 26 January 1919 30 RHB Tottenham Hotspur FC 0 0 0
Nicholson replaced Wright in the Party before they left England. Nicholson then returned home following the B matches.
Parsons, Eric G. 9 November 1923 25 OR West Ham United FC 0 0 0
Parsons replaced Harris in the Party before they left England. Parsons then returned home following the B matches.
Rowley, John F. 7 October 1918 30 IL Manchester United FC 2 1 0
Shimwell, Edmund 27 February 1920 29 RB Blackpool FC 1 0 0
Shimwell returned home following the B matches.
Swift, Frank V. 26 December 1913 35 G Manchester City FC 19 18ᵍᵃ 2
Swift enforced his own retirement from football following the Norway match
Westwood, Eric 25 September 1917 31 LB Manchester City FC 0 0 0
Westwood returned home following the B matches.
Williams, Bert F. 31 January 1920 29 G Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 0 0ᵍᵃ 0
Wilshaw, Dennis J. 11 March 1926 23 LF Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 0 0 0
Wilshaw replaced Milburn in the Party on 3 May.
Wright, Arthur W. 23 September 1919 29 LHB Sunderland AFC 0 0 0
Wright withdrew from the Party before they left England.
Wright, William A. 6 February 1924 25 RHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 21 0 6
All information is complete to and including England's last match, the seventh of the 1948-49 season, against Norway on 18 May 1949.

Diary

Monday, 2 May 1949 - The Football Association have chosen 26 players to tour the continent later this month. The retiring Frank Swift makes his last tour and will share goalkeeping duties with Ted Ditchburn and Bert Williams, close rivals as Swift's successor in the international sphere. Bill Ellerington, the Southampton full-back has now superseded Alf Ramsey in both club and representative honours. Walter Harrison deserves recognition, for his strong wing-half play was conspicuous throughout the successful cup run of Leicester City. Stan Matthews has not been too fit of late, but his omission is probably more attributable to personal commitments in the close season. Their are five matches in nine days, served by two teams, England and England B. The players fly from Northolt to Stockholm on 10 May in two planes.

Wednesday, 4 May 1949 - Dennis Wilshaw, the young Loughborough college student who cannot command a a regular place in Wolves' side, despite scoring ten goals in eight league games, is to tour Europe with England. He goes in the place of Newcastle's Jackie Milburn, and is the fourth member of Wolves to make the journey.

Tuesday, 10 May 1949 - England footballers started today upon a 3,000 mile Continental tour. Both Arthur Wright and Peter Harris had to drop out of the party almost at the last minute, and in their place went Eric Parsons, the West Ham forward, and Billy Nicholson, the Tottenham half-back, who played at Sunderland during the war-time football when stationed at Brancepeth.

Wednesday, 11 May 1949 - The teams to play Sweden and Finland are announced this morning.

Friday, 13 May 1949 - Sweden's unexpected 3-1 win over England caused great jubilation throughout Sweden. The Swedish Telegraph Board stated that they had never handled so many congratulatory telegrams. Several sacks of telegrams were delivered at the banquet given to both teams by the Swedish FA.

Sunday, 15 May 1949 - The England team defeated by Sweden will be well and truly in the melting top as a result of the England B team's comfortable 4-0 win against Finland. That changes will have to be made was obvious before this game, but the selectors face something of a problem because six members of this team, Williams, Ellerington, Westwood, Dickinson, Morris and Mannion, staked a claim for inclusion in the side that meets Norway on Wednesday.

Monday, 16 May 1949 - The team arrive in Oslo by air tonight in the pouring rain. A second plane, carrying the FA officials and British journalists, met the full force of a thunderstorm, and received a severe buffeting before touching down.  The teams to face Norway and Netherlands are announced.

Wednesday, 18 May 1949 - The Norwegian press were critical of England's performance, calling England's football is still far below its pre-war level. Morgenbladet calling the performance colourless and monotonous. The National blaming Norway's bad luck to to their loss.
Frank Swift's match in goal in Oslo was the last of his career. At the banquet after the match it was stated that Swift would not take part in the last game of the tour, against France on Sunday. Swift, in a delightful speech, thanked the FA for all they had done for him. A special toast was called. He was specially thanked for his services to the game by England's present captain, Billy Wright. Normally a humorist, Swift was in tears as he responded. It was all he could do to say 'Thank you!'

Thursday, 19 May 1949 - The England team leave Oslo by air for Paris, and those in Amsterdam arrived in London. Eight members of the Amsterdam party return to their homes, only Jack Rowley and Bill Jones were retained to go onto Paris. They joined up with the team that arrived from Oslo, including the two reserves, Bert Williams and Dennis Wilshaw. Eric Westwood joined up with his Manchester City teammates in Denmark.

Friday, 20 May 1949 - The Selectors chose their team to play France in the final tour match.

England Form: last six games
W W W L L W  f 19:a success: 67%
242 9 October 1948 - Ireland 2 England 6 [0-1]
Windsor Park, Belfast (53,629)
Walsh (2)
Matthews, Milburn, Mortensen (3), Pearson
BC AW
243 10 November 1948 - England 1 Wales 0 [1-0]
Villa Park, Birmingham (68,700)
Finney HW
244 2 December 1948 - England 6 Switzerland 0 [3-0]
Arsenal Stadium, Highbury (48,000)
Haines (2), Hancocks (2), Rowley, Milburn Fr HW
245 9 April 1949 - England 1 Scotland 3 [0-1]
Empire Stadium, Wembley (99,500)
Milburn
Mason, Steel, Reilly
BC HL
246 13 May 1949 - Sweden 3 England 1 [3-0]
Råsunda Fotbollstadion, Solna (37,500)
Carlsson, Jeppson, Jónsson
Finney
tour AL
247 18 May 1949 - Norway 1 England 4 [0-2]
Ullevål Stadion, Oslo (36,000)
Andresen
Mullen, Finney, Spydevold OG, Morris
AW
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CG