|
"ENGLAND
FIGHT—BUT FAIL!"
Sunday Mirror |
Officials
from Scotland |
England |
UK ruling on substitutes |
Scotland |
Referee (black)
George
Mitchell
39 (22 February 1912),
Falkirk |
Teams presented to the HRH Duke of Gloucester. |
Linesmen |
Ian C.
Inglis
Edinburgh |
William H.
Quinn
Dumfries. |
|
|
England
Team |
|
Rank |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 4th |
Colours |
The 1949 home
uniform -
White collared jerseys, blue shorts, red socks.
|
P 17th of 43, W
11 - D 1 - L 5 - F 48 - A 26. |
Captain |
Billy Wright |
Manager |
Walter Winterbottom, 38 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946; |
19th of 90, W 13 - D 0 - L 6 - F 50 - A 24. |
P 36th of 139, W 25 - D 4 - L 7 - F 114 - A 41. |
³ |
Team chosen by the Selection Committee headed by Arthur Drewry on
Friday, 6 April. |
England
Lineup |
|
post-war record
seven changes
to the previous match
(back three & Mannion remain) |
league position
(6 April) |
|
|
Williams, Bert F. |
31
73 days |
31 January 1920 |
G |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC (FL 13th) |
14 |
18ᵍᵃ |
2 |
Ramsey, Alfred E. |
31
82 days |
22 January 1920 |
RB |
Tottenham Hotspur FC
(FL TOP) |
12 |
0 |
3 |
Eckersley, William |
25 272 days |
16 July 1925 |
LB |
Blackburn Rovers FC (FL2 6th) |
3 |
0 |
4 |
Johnston, Harry |
31
200 days |
26 September 1919 |
RHB |
Blackpool FC
(FL 3rd) |
3 |
0 |
5 |
Froggatt, Jack |
28
148 days |
17 November 1922 |
CHB |
Portsmouth FC
(FL 9th) |
3 |
1 |
6 |
Wright, William A. |
27
67 days |
6 February 1924 |
RHB |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC (FL
13th) |
34 |
3 |
7 |
Matthews, Stanley |
36
72 days |
1 February 1915 |
OR |
Blackpool FC
(FL 3rd) |
33 |
9 |
8 |
Mannion,
Wilfred J., injured off 11th min. |
32
333 days |
16 May 1918 |
IR |
Middlesbrough FC
(FL 4th) |
25 |
11 |
9
|
Mortensen, Stanley H.,
injured off 46th min., returned 55th min.. |
29
323 days |
26 May 1921 |
CF |
Blackpool FC
(FL 3rd) |
22 |
20 |
703 |
10
|
Hassall, Harold W. |
22 41 days |
4 March 1929 |
IL/CF |
Huddersfield Town AFC
(FL 19th) |
1 |
1 |
the 16th Town player to represent
England |
11
|
Finney,
Thomas |
29
9 days |
5 April 1922 |
OL/IR |
Preston
North End FC (FL2 TOP) |
30 |
19 |
the fifth player to reach this
milestone |
reserves: |
Henry Cockburn (Manchester United FC
(FL 2nd)) and
Jackie Milburn (Newcastle United FC
(FL 6th)) |
team notes: |
In choosing
Jack Froggatt as centre-half, he becomes the first player since Jimmy
Crabtree in 1900, to play for his country in two different areas of
the pitch (distinct from positions). Wilf Mannion was stretchered off with a fractured cheekbone,
sustained in an aerial challenge with Billy Liddell after Williams
punched away a Billy Waddell corner. He went straight
to hospital, accompanied by the manager, leaving Billy Wright to make
the team changes.
|
|
2-3-5 |
Williams - Ramsey, Eckersley - Johnston, Froggatt,
Wright - Matthews, Mannion (Finney),
Mortensen, Hassall, Finney |
Averages: |
Age |
29
years 216
days |
Appearances/Goals |
16.4 |
5.7 |
most experienced post-war team
so far |
England teams
v. Scotland: |
1950: |
Williams |
Ramsey |
Aston |
Wright |
Franklin |
Dickinson |
Finney |
Mannion |
Mortensen |
Bentley |
Langton |
1951: |
Williams |
Ramsey |
Eckersley |
Johnston |
Froggatt |
Wright |
Matthews |
Mannion |
Mortensen |
Hassall |
Finney |
|
|
Scotland
Team |
|
Rank |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 8th to 5th |
Colours |
blue jerseys
with white collars, white shorts, blue socks with
white/blue tops. |
Captain |
George Young |
Selection |
The Scottish Football Association
Selection Committee, chosen on Monday, 2 April 1951 |
Scotland
Lineup |
|
Cowan, James C. |
24
118 days |
16 June 1926 |
G |
Greenock Morton FC |
16 |
18ᵍᵃ |
2 |
Young, George L. |
28
169 days |
27 October 1922 |
RB |
Rangers FC |
23 |
0 |
3 |
Cox, Samuel R. |
27
1 day |
13 April 1924 |
LB |
Rangers FC |
9 |
0 |
4 |
Evans, Robert |
23 272 days |
16 July 1927 |
RHB |
The Celtic FC |
10 |
0 |
5 |
Woodburn, William A. |
31 249 days |
8 August 1919 |
CHB |
Rangers FC |
16 |
0 |
6 |
Redpath, William Y. |
28 249 days |
8 August 1922 |
LHB |
Motherwell FC |
3 |
0 |
7 |
Waddell, William |
30 37 days |
7 March 1921 |
OR |
Rangers FC |
8 |
5 |
672 |
8
|
Johnstone, Robert |
21 219 days |
7 September 1929 |
IR |
Hibernian FC |
1 |
1 |
9
|
Reilly, Lawrance |
22
168 days |
28 October 1928 |
CF |
Hibernian FC |
9 |
5 |
10 |
Steel, William |
27
348 days |
1 May 1923 |
IL |
Dundee FC |
21 |
11 |
11
|
Liddell, William B. |
29
94 days |
10 January 1922 |
OL |
Liverpool FC, England |
13 |
2 |
reserves: |
Travelling reserves are McNaught (Raith Rovers FC) and James Mason (Third
Lanark FC). Full team of reserves are George Farm (Blackpool FC);
Lapsley (St.Mirren FC) and McNaught (Raith Rovers FC); Frank Brennan
(Newcastle United FC) and Redpath; Billy Liddell (Liverpool FC) and
James Mason (Third Lanark FC); Hamilton
(Aberdeen FC); Allan Brown (Blackpool FC) and Bobby Mitchell (Newcastle United
FC). |
team changes: |
Original choice left-half, Blackpool FC's Allan Brown was replaced by
Redpath, on Saturday, 7 April. Brown was injured in his team's league
match against Huddersfield Town AFC, suffering a knee injury. |
|
2-3-5 |
Cowan - Young, Cox - Evans, Woodburn, Redpath -
Waddell, Johnstone, Reilly, Steel, Liddell |
Averages: |
Age |
26
years 326
days |
Appearances/Goals |
11.7 |
1.9 |
|
|
Match Report by
Mike Payne |
Scotland
once again scored a famous victory on the hallowed turf of Wembley to win
the Home International Championship but both sides came out of this
magnificent match with a great deal of credit, especially since England
spent 80 minutes playing with only ten men.
Unbeaten at Wembley
in the Championship since 1934, Scotland began the game purposefully and
were already imposing their skills before Wilf Mannion left the arena with
a fractured cheekbone. He had been involved in an aerial duel with Liddell
on 11 minutes and went off in agony. Bert Williams had already twice saved
brilliantly from Johnstone and the limitations of the shaky England
defence were soon showing up. After Mannion's loss England looked
understandably disjointed as they struggled to reorganise.
Scotland began to play
on Jack Froggatt who did not have the happiest of games at centre-half.
The other defenders also struggled and for once even Billy Wright was not
on his game. But England did have one quality in abundance and that was
courage. Then ten men fought manfully and the and the marvellous skills of
Tom Finney, Stanley Matthews, Stan Mortensen and Harold Hassall made sure
that Scotland would not have things all their own way.
Scotland increased the pressure
though and Williams had to save well from Liddell. Johnstone then missed
two more clear chances before, on 26 minutes, and totally out of the blue,
England took the lead. It was a gem of a goal too. Alf Ramsey and Harry
Johnstone began the move by combining to find Finney out on the right. The
winger showed controlled dribbling skills before passing to Mortensen. He,
in turn, pulled the ball square to Hassall who conjured up some sheer
inspiration to deceive Young and shoot a glorious angled drive into the
roof of the Scottish net.
It seemed like 1949 in reverse, but with
33 minutes gone Johnstone gained a further chance for Scotland when good
work by Reilly and Liddell opened up a gap for the inside-right to score.
For a short time after the interval England were down to nine men
whilst Mortensen had treatment for a facial injury, but he soon returned
to the action. Shortly though, it was Scotland who swept into a decisive
lead. In the space of seven minutes they scored twice. First a glorious
passing movement between Evans, Johnstone and Reilly ended with the
centre-forward making it 2-1 by beating Froggatt and picking his spot. The
Williams tragically dropped a long cross by Steel, and Liddell, with a low
shot, fired the ball into the unguarded net.
All over? Not a bit of
it! Driven on by the stylish Johnston, Finney, Matthews, Mortensen and
Hassall, England captured the last half-hour with some superlative play.
It brought the Wembley crowd to a crescendo of noise and passion and it
almost brought the Scots to their knees.
On 80 minutes, a passing
duet between Finney and Mortensen ended with Finney streaking clear to lob
a superb goal over the advancing Cowan to make it 3-2. Matthews tormented
Cox. Finney all but got through again and then Mortensen, taking a pass
from Hassall, shot inches wide raising a puff of chalk as it went past the
post. The desperate Scots almost conceded a penalty when Mortensen was
bundled over unceremoniously, but then, amongst the excitement the referee
blew the final whistle on an extraordinary afternoon.
|
Match Report by
Norman Giller |
Wilf Mannion was carried
off with a fractured cheekbone in the eleventh minute. With Walter
Winterbottom accompanying Mannion to hospital, skipper Billy Wright took
the decision to switch Finney to the right to partner Matthews and the two
wing wizards often made the Scottish defenders think they were seeing
double. The ten men of England made the Scots battle all the way after
debutant Harold Hassall had given them a twenty-fifth minute lead. Hibs
partners Bobby Johnstone and Lawrie Reilly netted for Scotland and then
the barnstorming Billy Liddell made it 3-1. England, who had briefly been
down to nine men after Stan Mortensen had been knocked out, refused to
give in and Tom Finney conjured a goal. But the Scots held on for a
deserved victory against the Auld Enemy.
|
Match Report by
Glen Isherwood |
Once again, both England, the reigning British
Champions, and Scotland had beaten both Northern Ireland and Wales and
were set to decide the Championship between them. England were still
suffering from their first round exit from their first World Cup in Brazil
the previous year which included a humiliating defeat at the hands of the
United States. Scotland had not been beaten at Wembley in the British Championship
since 1934.
England were down to ten
men from the 11th minute when Mannion went off injured but took the lead
when Harold Hassall took a pass from Mortensen and shot past Cowan, the
hero of 1949.
Bobby
Johnstone put Scotland level from a pass by Reilly.
England were in
deep trouble at the start of the second half as Mortensen was suffering
from a first half collision and did not re-appear after the interval. The
Scots began to take advantage of the nine men and within two minutes Steel
supplied Lawrie Reilly who turned and shot Scotland into the lead.
Mortensen then came back on and England found new inspiration to
attack. Scotland soaked up the pressure, however, and increased their lead
when Reilly robbed Williams of the ball from a Steel cross leaving Billy
Liddell to score the third. England continued to battle and pulled one
back when Tom Finney took a pass from Mortensen and lobbed Cowan. They
could not muster another and Scotland were British Champions for the
second time in three years.
|
Match Report
as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1951-52, page 24 |
For
the match against Scotland, at Wembley on April 14th, England fielded
three new players, Johnston, Froggatt and Hassall. Scotland regained the
International Championship, but it is to England's credit that although
they played with only ten men for most of the game, they held a powerful
Scottish side with rare courage and lost only by the narrow margin of 3-2.
Scotland attacked
vigorously from the kick-off, and England's goal was saved several times in
the first ten minutes only by William's acrobatic skill. It was in the
13th minute that Mannion collided with Liddell and had to be carried and
scored from an acute angle from the field. England's first goal came in
the 27th minute, rather against the run of play, when Hassall, taking a
pass from Mortensen, worked his way through to the left and scored from an
acute angle. Scotland equalised in the 33rd minute. Within two minutes
of the resumption, Reilly had put Scotland ahead. Exploiting the gap in
England's defence, Scotland now clearly had the upper hand, and in
the 52nd minute Liddell scored again. England were still fighting hard,
and soon afterwards, Finney at outside-right ran half of the length of the
field, evaded three tackles, and non-chalantly placed the ball past Cowan
to score England's second goal. England's ten men now made an all-out
effort to save the game, and at times only Froggatt and Williams
remained in the home half. Scotland's defence held firm, however, and
there was no further score.
|
In
Other News....
It was on 14 April 1951 that seventy-year-old Ernest Bevin,
the wartime Minister of Labour and National Service, and
post-war Foreign Secretary, died from a heart attack, having
planned to go to Wembley to watch the Scotland match. During
the war, he had been responsible for the entire workforce of
the United Kingdom and diverted ten per cent of conscriptions
to work in the production of coal. They were nicknamed the
'Bevin Boys'. |
|
Source Notes |
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports LondonHearts.com
Glen Isherwood's Wembley: The Complete Record |
|
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record
Norman Giller, Football Author
Drew Herbertson, Scottish FA historian
British Pathé |
|
cg |