The England Party for the pre-World Cup East European Tour  May 1954
Player	Birthdate	Age	Pos	Club	starts	subs	App	G	Capt
Allen, Ronald	15 January 1929	25	OR	West Bromwich Albion FC	3	0	3	1	0
Armstrong, Kenneth	3 June 1924	29	RHB	Chelsea FC	0	0	0	0	0
Ball, John	13 March 1925	29	RB	Bolton Wanderers FC	0	0	0	0	0
	Ball was omitted from the final party.
Barlow, Raymond J.	17 August 1926	27	LHB	West Bromwich Albion FC	0	0	0	0	0
	Barlow was omitted from the final party.
Bell, Eric	27 November 1929	24	LHB	Bolton Wanderers FC	0	0	0	0	0
Broadis, Ivan A.	18 December 1922	31	IR	Newcastle United FC	10	0	10	5	0
Burgin, Edward	29 April 1927	27	G	Sheffield United FC	0	0	0	0ᵍᵃ	0
Byrne, Roger W.	8 September 1929	24	LB	Manchester United FC	2	0	2	0	0
Clarke, Henry A.	23 February 1923	31	CHB	Tottenham Hotspur FC	1	0	1	0	0
	Clarke was omitted from the final party.
Dickinson, James W.	24 April 1925	29	LHB	Portsmouth FC	34	0	34	0	0
Ditchburn, Edward G.	24 October 1921	32	G	Tottenham Hotspur FC	3	0	3	6ᵍᵃ	0
	Ditchburn was omitted from the final party.
Dugdale, James R.	15 January 1932	22	CHB	West Bromwich Albion FC	0	0	0	0	0
Eckersley, William	16 July 1925	28	LB	Blackburn Rovers FC	17	0	17	0	0
	Eckersley was omitted from the final party.
Edwards, Duncan	1 October 1936	17	LHB	Manchester United FC	0	0	0	0	0
	Edwards was added to the Party as a replacement for Slater, on 29 April.
Finney, Thomas	5 April 1922	32	OR	Preston North End FC	50	0	50	23	0
Green, Kenneth	27 April 1924	30	RB	Birmingham City FC	0	0	0	0	0
Harris, Peter P.	19 December 1925	28	OR	Portsmouth FC	1	0	1	0	0
	Harris was added to the final party on 22 April
Haynes, John N.	17 October 1934	19	IL	Fulham FC	0	0	0	0	0
Hooper, Harry	14 June 1933	20	OR	West Ham United FC	0	0	0	0	0
Jezzard, Bedford A.G.	15 January 1929	25	CF	Fulham FC	0	0	0	0	0
King, Raymond	15 August 1924	29	G	Port Vale FC	0	0	0	0ᵍᵃ	0
Lofthouse, Nathaniel	27 August 1925	28	CF	Bolton Wanderers FC	19	0	19	20	0
	Lofthouse was omitted from the final party.
McGarry, William H.	10 June 1927	26	RHB	Huddersfield Town AFC	0	0	0	0	0
Mansell, John	22 August 1927	26	LB	Portsmouth FC	0	0	0	0	0
	Mansell was added to the final party on 22 April
Merrick, Gilbert H.	26 January 1922	32	G	Birmingham City FC	19	0	19	30ᵍᵃ	0
Mullen, James	6 January 1923	31	OL	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	10	1	11	5	0
Nicholls, John	3 April 1931	23	IL	West Bromwich Albion FC	2	0	2	1	0
Owen, Sydney W.	29 September 1922	31	CHB	Luton Town AFC	1	0	1	1	0
Pilkington, Brian	12 February 1933	21	OL	Burnley FC	0	0	0	0	0
	Pilkington was omitted from the final party.
Quixall, Albert	9 August 1933	20	IF	Sheffield Wednesday FC	3	0	3	0	0
	Quixall was added to the final party on 22 April
Revie, Donald G.	10 July 1927	26	IR	Manchester City FC	1	0	1	0	0
	Revie was omitted from the final party.
Robb, George	1 June 1926	27	OL	Tottenham Hotspur FC	1	0	1	0	0
	Robb was added to the final party on 22 April
Sewell, John	24 January 1927	27	IL	Sheffield Wednesday FC	5	0	5	3	0
Slater, William J.	29 April 1927	27	LHB	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	0	0	0	0	0
	Slater was added to the final party on 22 April, but withdrew before the party left England
Staniforth, Ronald	13 April 1924	30	RB	Huddersfield Town AFC	2	0	2	0	0
Taylor, Thomas	29 January 1932	22	IL	Manchester United FC	3	0	3	2	0
	Taylor withdrew from the party on 11 May because of injury.
Thompson, George H.	15 September 1926	27	G	Preston North End FC	0	0	0	0ᵍᵃ	0
	Thompson was added to the final party on 22 April
Willemse, Stanley B.	23 August 1924	29	LB	Chelsea FC	0	0	0	0	0
Wilshaw, Dennis J.	11 March 1926	28	IL	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	1	0	1	2	0
	Wilshaw was added to the final party on 22 April
Wright, William A.	6 February 1924	30	RHB	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	57	0	57	3	42

All information is complete to and including England's last match, the sixth of the 1953-54 season, against Yugoslavia on 16 May 1954.

Diary

Wednesday, 8 April 1954 - The Football Association announce a party of 32 players who are under consideration for the two full England international games and two 'B' Internationals. England are to play Yugoslavia at Belgrade on 16 May and Hungary at Budapest on 23 May. The B team are to play Yugoslavia B, also on 16 May, in Zagreb, and Greece in Athens, also on 23 May. The final selection will not be made before 21 April. The 32 players named were in the forefront for consideration for one or other of the tours and their travel documents were being put into readiness.
There is nothing to preclude players not included in the list issued from being among those eventually selected, and inclusion in the list of 32 does not necessarily mean automatic selection.

Thursday, 22 April 1954 - The Football Association have today announced the names of 31 players who will take part in two continental tours next month. The two separate parties, full and 'B', will be classified at a later date.
Preston North End's goalkeeper George Thompson is one of seven new players who have been added. Along with Peter Harris, Jack Mansell, Albert Quixall, George Robb, Bill Slater and Dennis Wilshaw. The eight that have dropped out are Jack Ball, Ray Barlow, Harry Clarke, Ted Ditchburn, Bill Eckersley, Nat Lofthouse, Brian Pilkington and Don Revie.
The new party of 31 players are due to begin a spell of training at The Saffrons in Eastbourne from the 4th to the 6th May. Then after a couple of days at home, the party, by now, split in two, will reassemble in London and leave for the Continent on 14th May.
The nine additional players to make up the forty for the World Cup Finals are Stan Matthews, Nat Lofthouse, Jack Ball, Allenby Chilton, Duncan Edwards, Ron Greenwood, Roy Bentley, Stan Rickaby and Les Shannon.

Thursday, 29 April 1954 - Duncan Edwards, the 17 year old Manchester United left-half, who was nominated as one of the forty possibles, has been chosen to deputise for Bill Slater in the list of 31 players selected for the tour next month. Slater, on the physical training staff at Birmingham University, cannot obtain leave. Manchester City's Don Revie takes Edwards place in the list of 'nine additional players'.

Tuesday, 4 May 1954 - A battery of Press photographers and BBC Television cameramen greeted 22 England players as they arrived at the Saffrons this morning for training. Captain Billy Wright was immediately asked to appear before television for a personal interview.

Wednesday, 5 May 1954 - The Mayor, Alderman EC Martin, and other officials of Eastbourne Corporation were present at a lunch today with the footballers at the Albion Hotel, Eastbourne. The morning's training session was overshadowed by an injury to West Ham's Harry Hooper, he collided with iron seats at one end of the training ground and has returned to London for treatment. His right knee is swollen and is expected to be fit in a couple of days. Gil Merrick sat out training, as he was undergoing treatment for a back strain.

Tuesday, 11 May 1954 - The Selectors have chosen their teams for the Full International against Yugoslavia in Belgrade on Sunday, as well as the 'B' team that will face their Yugoslavia equivalents in Ljubljana on the same day. Manchester United's Tommy Taylor has withdrawn from the party because of injury and he will not be replaced.
Because of the recent earthquakes in Greece, the fixture due to take place on the 23rd May in Athens has now been postponed. Instead the 'B' team will meet the Swiss 'B' team in Basel. The entire party of thirty will now travel together, leaving London on Friday 14th and returning on 24th. After which, the final list of 22 players to represent England at the World Cup Finals in Switzerland next month, will be decided.

Friday, 14 May 1954 - The England party leave for Yugoslavia. The Full team have left for Belgrade on board the Elizabethan, a specially chartered airliner from London airport, while at the same time, the party making up the 'B' team, fly from Blackbushe Airport.

Saturday, 15 May 1954 - The England Full team have an early training session, before being received by the Lord Mayor of Belgrade, alongside Sir Stanley Rous, the secretary of the FA. Afterwhich, they attended a reception given by John Shattock, British Charge d'Affairs, in the absence of the Ambassador, Sir Ivor Mallet.

Sunday, 16 May 1954 - Yugoslavia, scoring four minutes from the end, defeated England by 1-0 at Belgrade, and so preserved their unbeaten record against England. Mitic scoring the only goal. Ronnie Allen suffered slight concussion but is expected to be available for the match against Hungary. If he is unfit, Jezzard is the natural replacement, as the same time in Ljubljana, about 300 miles to the west, Yugoslav's 'B' team defeated England 'B' team by two goals to one after a blank first half, Jezzard scoring England's goal, so that it was an unhappy day for English football.

Tuesday, 18 May 1954 - The party is split into two teams once more, the First team consists of sixteen players and will leave for Budapest. The fourteen making up the B team will leave for Basel. It is thought that the selectors are not likley to change the Full team's defence, but the forward line maybe totally reformed. Both parties leave for their destinations tomorrow.

Wednesday, 19 May 1954 - The England Full team arrive at the Budapest airport, where the Hungarian captain, Ferenc Puskás, presented his English counterpart, Billy Wright, with a bouquet of red roses. The England party should have gone to their lakeside resort in Balaton, but in view of the cloudy conditions, they remained in the city overnight.

Thursday, 20 May 1954 - England's players trained and practised for a full hour in the cold, wet, squally weather, by the shores of Balaton. Meanwhile, the Hungary team that has been chosen to face England, had a practise match against the Danube shoemakers factory team (9-0). England have indeed, changed their forward line to play Hungary. Peter Harris, who last played for England against Republic of Ireland in 1950, comes in. Jackie Sewell gets his first match of the tour, and Bedford Jezzard earns his first cap.

Friday, 21 May 1954 - The England B party are training on their Basle ground where they will play the Swiss on Sunday, after which the team is chosen. There are five changes to the side that were beaten by Yugoslavia B team. King, McGarry, Edwards, Allen and Wilshaw replace Burgin, Armstrong, Bell, Jezzard and Haynes.

Saturday, 22 May 1954 - England will travel to Budapest and stay in a hotel two miles outside of the city. They spend the morning training at the Nepstadion in Budapest.

England Form: last six games
W D W L W L  f 18:a 15  success: 58%
281	10 October 1953 - Wales 1 England 4 [1-1] Ninian Park, Cardiff (61,000)	Allchurch Wilshaw (2), Lofthouse (2)	BC/ WCP	AW
282	21 October 1953 - England 4 Rest of the World 4 [2-3] Empire Stadium, Wembley (97,000)	Mortensen, Mullen (2), Ramsey (pen) Kubala (2 (1 pen)), Boniperti (2)	Fr	HD
283	11 November 1953 - England 3 Ireland 1 [1-0] Goodison Park, Liverpool (70,700)	Hassall (2), Lofthouse Merrick OG	BC/ WCP	HW
284	25 November 1953 - England 3 Hungary 6 [2-4] Empire Stadium, Wembley (100,000)	Sewell, Mortensen, Ramsey (pen) Hidegkuti (3), Puskás (2), Bozsik	Fr	HL
285	3 April 1954 - Scotland 2 England 4 [1-1] Hampden Park, Glasgow (134,554)	Brown, Ormond Broadis, Nicholls, R.Allen, Mullen	BC/ WCP	AW
286	16 May 1954 - Yugoslavia 1 England 0 [0-0] Stadion JNA, Beograd (59,000)	Mitić	tour	AL