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Results 1950-1955                       Page Last Updated 22 January 2024 België/Belgique/Belgien
 
255 vs. Belgium

previous match (14 days)
274 vs. Wales
275
next match (105 days)
'B' 12 vs. Scotland
next senior match
(143 days)
276 vs. Scotland


281 vs. Wales
Wednesday, 26 November 1952
International Friendly Match


England 5 Belgium 0
[2-0]
 
 
Empire Stadium, Empire Way, Wembley Park, Wembley, Middlesex
Kick-off (GMT): 2.15pm.
Attendance: 68,333; Receipts: £5,514.
  Belgium kicked-off
[0-0] Nat Lofthouse left-footed shot hits the crossbar 3
[1-0] Billy Elliott 3
 picked himself up to shoot left-footed from 12 yards after Lofthouse's shot had hit the crossbar
[2-0] Nat Lofthouse 37
 a 12yard left-footed power shot after Roy Bentley laid off a perfect ball for him following an Elliott cross
 
12.15 Syd Dean 12.45 Concert 1.45 Listen with Mother 2.0 Woman's Hour
3.0 England v. Belgium
4.0 Sandy Macpherson 4.15 Mrs Dale's Diary 4.30 Tip-Top Tunes 5.0 Welsh Orchestra 6.0 Band 6.15 Your Music Club 6.45 The Archers 7.0 News
[3-0] Billy Elliott volley 51
 6-yard right-footed volley that went in off Carré's leg after Boogaerts punch away of Bentley's cross fell too short
[4-0] Redfern Froggatt header 60
 7-yard bullet header from a Tom Finney left-footed free-kick from corner of penatly area.
(Van Brandt handled ball inside the area)
[5-0] Nat Lofthouse header 85
 
headed in unopposed from 10-yards a Roy Bentley cross out of Boogaerts reach
 
Players lost since last match
Hugh Moffat (14 November 1952) 67

This week's Music Charts

second half live on the Radio Light Programme - commentators: tbc
 
"FIVE-GOAL ENGLAND LET THE BELGIANS OFF WITH 'CAUTION'" Daily Mirror
Officials from Netherlands England FIFA ruling on substitutes Belgium
Referee (black)
Leopold Sylvain Horn
36 (29 August 1916), Sittard 
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.

Teams presented to the Guest of Honour, The Duke of Gloucester.
flame flag              Linesmen           orange flag
Johann Bronkhurst
38 (3 March 1914), Velp
Klaas Schipper
41 (2 December 1910), Groningen
  
England Team
   
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 4th
Colours The 1949 home uniform - White collared jerseys, blue shorts, black socks with white tops.
P 28th of 43, W 17 - D 6 - L 5 - F 78 - A 39.
Captain Billy Wright Manager Walter Winterbottom, 39 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
record 31st of 90, W 20 - D 5 - L 6 - F 80 - A 38. Trainer: Jimmy Trotter (Charlton Athletic FC) P 49th of 139, W 33 - D 9 - L 7 - F 149 - A 57.
  ³ Team chosen by Selection Committee headed by Harold Shentall, on Tuesday, 18 November, in Sheffield.
England Lineup
  unchanged from the previous match league positions (18 November)  
  Merrick, Gilbert H. 30
305 days
26 January 1922 G Birmingham City FC (FL2 8th) 9 10ᵍᵃ
2 Ramsey, Alfred E. 32
309 days
22 January 1920 RB Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL 18th) 25 1
3 Smith, Lionel 32
95 days
23 August 1920 LB Arsenal FC (FL 4th) 5 0
4 Wright, William A. 28
294 days
6 February 1924 RHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL TOP) 46 3
most apps 1952
5 Froggatt, Jack 30
39 days
17 November 1922 CHB Portsmouth FC (FL 8th) 11 2
6 Dickinson, James W. 27
216 days
24 April 1925 LHB Portsmouth FC (FL 8th) 23 0
7
Finney, Thomas 30
235 days
5 April 1922 OR Preston North End FC (FL 12th) 42 21
8
Bentley, T.F. Roy 28
195 days
17 May 1924 IR Chelsea FC (FL 17th) 8 3
9
Lofthouse, Nathaniel 27
90 days
27 August 1925 CF Bolton Wanderers FC (FL 16th) 11 14
the 163rd (30th post-war) brace scored oldest youngest player so far
10
Froggatt, Redfern 28
95 days
23 August 1924 IL Sheffield Wednesday FC (FL 11th) 2 1
11
Elliott, William H. 27
251 days
20 March 1925 OL Burnley FC (FL 2nd) 5 3
the 162nd (29th post-war) brace scored final app 1952
unused substitutes: Ted Ditchburn (Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL 18th)), Joe Kennedy (West Bromwich Albion FC (FL 6th)) and Dennis Wilshaw (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL TOP)). Wilshaw damaged his ankle in his club's league match the previous Saturday, his place going to Ronnie Allen (West Bromwich Albion FC (FL 6th)) on 24 November.
team notes: Not since their second WCF match in 1950 against United States have England fielded an unchanged side.
appearance notes: Nat Lofthouse is again the youngest player of the eleven starting the match, thus breaking a record he set in the previous match, by fourteen days. Lofthouse will be the oldest youngest player until he breaks his record again in the next match.
records: This is the fourth match unbeaten at Wembley by England, equaling a pre-war record.
This victory extends the post-war unbeaten record to thirteen games without loss.
goalscoring records: Nat Lofthouse ends the year as top goalscorer for the second successive year. His nine goals coming across seven matches.
Players once again trained on the ground of Chelsea FC, Stamford Bridge.
It was after this match, at a banquet at a Park Lane Hotel in London, that Billy Wright received an award, an illuminated address, for becoming England's player with the most appearances.
 
2-3-5 Merrick -
Ramsey, Smith -
Wright,
J.Froggatt, Dickinson -
Finney, Bentley, Lofthouse,
R.Froggatt, Elliott.
Averages: Age 29 years 193 days Appearances/Goals 17.0 3.9
most experienced post-war team so far
 
Belgium Team
   
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 27th to 28th
Colours Red lace-up collared jerseys, black shorts, black socks with yellow tops.
Captain Jef Mermans Manager William Joseph Gormlie (b.mid-1911 in Toxteth Park, England).
Team chosen on Monday, 17 November 1952.
Belgium Lineup
  Boogaerts, Ferdinand P. 31
275 days
25 February 1921 G Royal Standard de Liége 6 24ᵍᵃ
final app 1951-52
2 Diricx, Henri 25
142 days
7 July 1927 RB Union St. Gilloise 5 0
3 Van Brandt, Alfons 25
155 days
24 June 1927 LB Koninklijke Lierse Sk 5 0
4 Mees, Victor 25
305 days
26 January 1927 RHB Royal Antwerp FC 22 0
5 Carré, Louis 27
324 days
7 January 1925 CHB RFC Liégeois 27 0
6 Maertens, Robert 22
307 days
24 January 1930 LHB Royale Antwerp FC 6 0
7 Lemberechts, Victor 28
197 days
15 May 1924 OR KV Mechelen 31 10
8 Van Der Auwera, Jan 28
322 days
9 January 1924 IR RC Mechelen 19 0
10 Coppens, Henri F.L. 22
211 days
29 April 1930 CF Royale Bierschot AC 12 3
9 Mermans, Joseph 30
284 days
16 February 1922 IL RSC Anderlecht 36 23
11 Straetmans, Jean 21
61 days
26 September 1931 OL Royale White Star AC 1 0
unused substitutes: Armand Seghers, Willy Saeren, Pol Anoul, Michel Bensch.
team notes: The Belgians made a forward switch, Mermans and Coppens swapping positions.
 
2-3-5 Boogaerts -
Diricx, Van Brandt -
Mees, Carré, Maertens -
Lemberechts, Van Der Auwera, Coppens, Mermans, Straetmans
Averages: Age 26 years 170 days Appearances/Goals 15.5 3.3
 
               Match Report by Mike Payne

On a bitterly cold day and, with a pitch covered in icy patches, England produced another fine performance to continue their good run. Belgium became the latest victims of the unbeaten home record against continental sides and they ended the match well beaten.

England's recent good form has coincided with the excellent play of two players in particular. Redfern Froggatt and Nat Lofthouse have been superb with Lofthouse especially the outstanding star of the England side.

The Duke of Gloucester was the VIP guest and he, and the rest of the disappointing crowd of 65,000, enjoyed some sparkling football.

England took the lead early on, a familiar pattern, when Tom Finney fed a lovely pass to Lofthouse. He nodded it down to his right foot before crashing a drive against the Belgium crossbar. When the rebound came out, Billy Elliott was on hand to hit a firm shot wide of Boogaerts.

From that moment, England rarely lost control. Playing neat and constructive football they continually split the Belgium defence to set up many chances. Roy Bentley missed, so did Finney but, shortly before half-time, the deserved second goal duly arrived. It was a real beauty.

Redfern Froggatt made another good break, this time down the left. When his centre came over, Finney and Bentley combined well to set up Lofthouse. Again, he fired in a fierce shot, which this time went in off the crossbar.

Six minutes into the second half, England emphasised their dominance with a third goal. This time Finney sent Bentley away down the left. He carefully measured a lovely cross into the middle where Lofthouse's challenge forced Boogaerts to fumble, allowing Elliott the chance to shoot home from close range as the ball fell loose.

It was all England now and on the hour they scored again. Redfern Froggatt, who had already missed several good chances including a sitter just previously, this time made no mistake when he headed home Finney's free-kick perfectly.

Apart from the occasional break from the hard working Coppings and Mermans, Belgium had little to offer although it must be said that England's defence held together brilliantly to emphasise what a good team performance it had been.

With the second half being played in driving sleet, the conditions were awful but nonetheless the football certainly warmed the crowd. Belgium did make a spirited rally towards the end and at last gave Gil Merrick something to warm him up. But the final word had to come from the man Lofthouse.

He rose superbly to head in Bentley's precise cross to round off a fine performance and another excellent result.

  

               Match Report by Norman Giller

Nat Lofthouse kept up his one-man bombardment with a double strike that took his haul to nine goals in five games. Redfern Froggatt scored his first goal for England, and Burnley winger Billy Elliott netted twice against the outplayed Belgians. The game was played in a driving sleet, and ice patches formed on the famous Wembley turf, making it difficult for defenders to keep their feet. England led 2-0 at the end of a first-half in which they might have had half a dozen goals against a completely outplayed Belgian team.
  

               Match Report by Glen Isherwood

Belgium had appeared at Wembley twice before in unofficial internationals. England had never failed to beat them at home but had lost 3-2 in Brussels in 1936. Belgium had not competed in the 1950 World Cup. England took the lead in only the fourth minute. Lofthouse hit a thunderous shot against the bar and Billy Elliott scored from the rebound.
Just before the interval Finney and Bentley neatly prised open the Belgian defence and Nat Lofthouse unleashed another powerful shot which this time went in off the bar. Three minutes after the break, from a Bentley cross, Lofthouse challenged Boogaerts and Elliott slotted in his second. The fourth came after an hour with Redfern Froggatt heading in a Finney free kick. Lofthouse scored the fifth with a header from Bentley's cross.
  

               Match Report as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1953-54, page 21

A fortnight later England appeared at Wembley again with an unchanged team, and its form confirmed that what had been seen against Wales was no flash in the pan. Belgium were not of the same mettle as Wales, but 10 goals at Wembley in a fortnight speaks very much for itself.
Belgium were outpaced and outmanoeuvred on a frozen surface and in driving sleet. They played neatly but too close; yet in the last quarter hour they rallied sufficiently to give Merrick a warming. Finney was perhaps the best of the forwards, but it was the culture of Froggatt (R.) at inside-left and Lofthouse's leadership in the middle that made for the smooth flow of England's attack, its penetration and finishing power. England went ahead in the third minute when a shot from Lofthouse almost splintered the Belgian cross-bar. The rebound came to Elliott and he shot home. Then just before half-time another thunderbolt from Lofthouse went in via the underside of the bar. Elliott scored England's third soon after half-time, Froggatt (R.) headed home Finney's free-kick to make it four, and Lofthouse, with all the time in the world, picked his spot to head in a precise centre from Bentley to make it five.

Domestic Football Results (26 November 1952)
FA Cup First Round Replays:
Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 2 Ipswich Town 2ᴭᵀ
  
Dean Court, Bournemouth
(7,294)
Rees OG, Cross ~ Elsworthy, Garneys
Gillingham 3 Wellington Town 0
  
Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham
(7,383)
Scarth, Forrester, Long
Reading 1 Crystal Palace 3
  
Elm Park, Reading
(8,167)
Brooks ~ Fell (2), Rainford
Wimbledon 0 Walthamstow Avenue 3
 
 
Plough Lane, Wimbledon (2,500)
Lewis (2), Bailey
Walthamstow expertly dispatched fellow Isthmian League club, Wimbledon from the competition and went on to become the first amateur club to reach the FA Cup fourth round in 24 years. They had won the FA Amateur Cup at Wembley, seven months earlier, and would go on to win the Isthmian League Championship, but their greatest claim to fame came in holding the reigning Football League Champions, Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the fourth round, before succumbing to a 5-2 replay defeat at Highbury.

         In Other News....
It was on 26 November 1952 that the final report into the Lynmouth Flood Disaster of three months earlier, outlined the plans by the Devon River Board for diverting the River Lyn around the village. A violent storm had dropped nine inches of rain onto Exmoor, sending a huge wave of water and debris through the valley and into Lynmouth. 34 people died, and another 420 were left homeless.
              Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Belgianfootball.be
Drew Herbertson, Scottish FA historian
The Complete Book of the British Charts
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record

Norman Giller, Football Author
Glen Isherwood's Wembley: The Complete Record
British Pathé
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