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Results 1950-1955                        Page Last Updated 3 February 2024

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3.45
France v. England
4.45
Down Your Way
Sunday, 15 May 1955
End of Season Tour Match

France 1 England 0
[1-0]
 
 
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, Paris, Île-de-France
Kick-off (CEST): 3.00pm 3.00pm BST
Attendance: 54,696.
Players lost since last match
Irvine Thornley (24 April 1955) 71
Dicky Bond (25 April 1955) 71
unknown kicked off
[1-0] Raymond Kopa penalty 37
 penalty that 'outfoxed' Williams
 (Sillett fouled Vincent)
 
This week's Music Charts

[1-0] Raymond Kopa strike hits the post
[1-0] Jean Vincent strike hits the post
 
second half live on the Radio Light Programme - commentators: tbc
 
"Don't blame that penalty, England" Clifford Webb, Daily Herald
Officials from West Germany France FIFA ruling on substitutes

England Party

Referee
Emil Schmetzer
46 (19 June 1908), Mannheim
Linesmen
tbc tbc
   
France Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 13th to 11th
Colours Blue collared jerseys, white shorts, red socks.
Captain Roger Marche Selection International Selection Committee,
announced on Tuesday, 10 May 1955
France Lineup
  Remetter, François 26
280 days
8 August 1928 G FC Sochaux-Montbéliard 11 13ᵍᵃ
2 Bieganski, Guilhem 22
193 days
3 November 1932 RB Lille Olympique SC 4 0
3 Marche, Roger 31
71 days
5 March 1924 LB RC de Paris 43 0
4 Penverne, Armand 28
170 days
26 November 1926 RHB Stade de Reims 15 2
5 Jonquet, Robert 30
12 days
3 May 1925 CHB Stade de Reims 32 0
6 Louis, Xercès 28
196 days
31 October 1926 LHB RC de Lens 5 0
7 Ujlaki, Joseph 25
217 days
10 October 1929
in Buda-pest, Hungary
OR OGC Nice Côte d'Azur 12 7
8 Glovacki, Léon 27
85 days
19 February 1928 IR Stade de Reims 7 3
9 Kopaczewski, Raymond 23
214 days
13 October 1931 CF Stade de Reims 19 11
14th penalty against scored (24th overall)
     
10 Bliard, René 22
178 days
18 November 1932 IL Stade de Reims 2 0
11 Vincent, Jean 24
167 days
29 November 1930 OL Lille Olympique SC 9 6
reserves: Paul Sinibaldi (Stade de Reims), René Pleimelding (Toulouse FC) and Abderrahman Mahjoub (RC de Paris).
Roger Marche played for France against England back in May 1947, when he was making his second appearance.
 
2-3-5 Remetter -
Bieganski, Marche -
Penverne, Jonquet, Louis -
Ujlaki, Glovacki, Kopa, Bliard, Vincent
Averages: Age 26 years 163 days Appearances/Goals 14.5 2.5
 
England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 5th
Colours The 1954 Umbro home uniform - White v-necked short-sleeved continental jerseys, blue rayon shorts, black socks with white tops.
P third of 43, W 2 - D 0 - L 1 - F 10 - A 5.
Captain Billy Wright
Manager Walter Winterbottom, 42 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
record 51st of 90, W 30 - D 9 - L 12 - F 128 - A 80. P 69th of 139, W 43 - D 13 - L 13 - F 202 - A 101, one abandoned.
  ³ Team chosen by Selection Committee, headed by Harold Shentall, announced Saturday, 14 May.
England Lineup
  two changes to the previous match (Sillett & Flowers>Meadows & Armstrong) FINAL league positions (5 May)  
  Williams, Bert F. 35
104 days
31 January 1920 G Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL RU) 21 28ᵍᵃ
4th keeper to face two penalty kicks
     
746 2 Sillett, R. Peter T. 22
103 days
1 February 1933 RB Chelsea FC (FL CHAMPIONS) 1 0
the 18th Chelsea player to represent England
3 Byrne, Roger W. 25
249 days
8 September 1929 LB Manchester United FC (FL 5th) 11 0
747 4 Flowers, Ronald 20
291 days
28 July 1934 RHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL RU) 1 0
the 25th Wanderer to represent England
5 Wright, William A. 31
98 days
6 February 1924 CHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL RU) 66 3
most apps 1952-55
6 Edwards, Duncan 18
226 days
1 October 1936 LHB Manchester United FC (FL 5th) 2 0
7 Matthews, Stanley 40
103 days
1 February 1915 OR Blackpool FC (FL 19th) 43 9
oldest outfield player
8 Revie, Donald G. 27
309 days
10 July 1927 IR Manchester City FC (FL 7th) 3 2
9 Lofthouse, Nathaniel 29
261 days
27 August 1925 CF Bolton Wanderers FC (FL 18th) 24 25
10 Wilshaw, Dennis J. 29
65 days
11 March 1926 IL Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL RU) 5 7
11 Blunstone, Frank 20
210 days
17 October 1934 OL Chelsea FC (FL CHAMPIONS) 3 0
unused substitutes: Reg Matthews (Coventry City FC (FL3S 9th)), Harry Hooper (West Ham United FC (FL2 th)), Albert Quixall (Sheffield Wednesday FC (FL 22nd rel.)).
team notes: "Pushing, shoving, elbowing, the French were allowed to run through the full Continental book of obstruction, yet the most innocuous England tackle was punished." - Monday, 16 May 1955, Daily Mirror
"It was a bad performance. Our young players failed!" - Sir Stanley Rous, F.A. Secretary
"We did not use the ball well and there was too much individualism!" - Walter Winterbottom
 
2-3-5 Williams -
Sillett, Byrne -
Flowers, Wright, Edwards -
Matthews, Revie, Lofthouse, Wilshaw, Blunstone
Averages: Age 27 years 152 days Appearances/Goals 16.4 4.2
 

"Pushing, shoving, elbowing, the French were allowed to run through the full Continental book of obstruction, yet the most innocuous England tackle was punished." - Monday, 16 May 1955, Daily Mirror

"It was a bad performance. Our young players failed!" - Sir Stanley Rous, F.A. Secretary  
"We did not use the ball well and there was too much individualism!"
- Walter Winterbottom
  

              Match Report by Mike Payne

After the euphoria of the magnificent win against Scotland, England were brought back down to earth by France on this the first leg of their 1955 summer tour. It was a very disappointing performance by England and the Union Jacks in the crowd were waving in a rather forlorn way at the end. Once again the continental style of play contrasted greatly to England's and the gap in class seemed to widen again.

Nearly 55,000 people packed into the Colombes Stadium to see France quickly move into their stride. Marche, their captain, soon latched on to Stan Matthews and subdued the great man in a better way than many defenders before him. It was also obvious why France had had such a good season. Wins against Sweden, Germany and Spain, combined with a good draw at Belgium, had boosted their confidence and now they were looking to add the biggest scalp of all.

England looked sluggish and for long spells the quick and delightful football of the French stole the honours. Kopa, Glovacki, Bliard and the long-legged coloured player Louis showed some super skills. Alas, the English challenge never really got going. Matthews was marked out of it by Marche and with Ron Flowers having a quiet debut, thus making Don Revie ineffective, they rarely threatened.

Only Dennis Wilshaw looked dangerous for the visitors and he put in some spirited attempts. Ironically, despite the quality of France's football, the goal that settled the match came from a penalty. Indeed, some questionable refereeing decisions had a big say in the outcome.

In the 21st minute, Blunstone was sent sprawling by a reckless challenge in the French penalty area. To England's disgust the German official waved play on. It was a different story some 15 minutes later, though. This time Peter Sillett brought down the elusive Vincent in the England box and the referee showed no hesitation in awarding the spot-kick. There was no doubting his decision but this foul was no less obvious than the one against Blunstone. Kopa stepped up calmly to beat Bert Williams with his shot and the French fans went wild with delight.

After the interval, Kopa, who was outstanding throughout, and Vincent, both crashed fierce shots against the England goalposts and the writing was on the wall. Bliard featured in one amazing incident when he found himself clean through. Believing he was offside he simply tapped the ball to Williams, only afterwards realising the whistle had not blown. Williams, always the busier of the two goalkeepers, then made flying saves from Bliard and Vincent. Despite all of this French pressure, England could still have won the match. On 62 minutes they began an eight-minute spell when they might easily have scored three times.

First Wilshaw sent Nat Lofthouse clean through, only for his shot to strike Remetter's body as the 'keeper came out. Then, England's best move of the game involving Duncan Edwards, Revie and Wilshaw ended with the latter also finding his shot somewhat fortuitously blocked by Remetter's body. Finally, Matthews, with a marvellous piece of skill, killed a high pass superbly to set up Lofthouse. This time the centre-forward did beat Remetter, only to see Penverne appear from nowhere to clear off the goal line.

That was the end of England's efforts and at the end France did a lap of honour to celebrate their famous victory. As for England, only Billy Wright and Edwards could be totally happy with their performances and the party now moved on to Spain.

     

              Match Report by Norman Giller

Peter Sillett, making his debut at right-back, conceded the thirty-sixth minute penalty from which the great Raymond Kopa scored the winning goal for France. Just a month earlier Sillett's penalty goal against Wolves had virtually clinched the League championship for Chelsea, and forced Wolves into settling for runners-up place. Ron Flowers, making his debut alongside his Wolves skipper Billy Wright, had to wait three years for his second cap and then won forty in a row - an unbroken sequence beaten only by Billy's seventy consecutive appearances. The nearest England came to scoring was when Frank Blunstone was unceremoniously pulled down as he shaped to shoot. England appeals for a penalty were turned down, while the German referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty to France for a less obvious foul by Sillett.
  

              Match Report as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1955-56 pages 28-29

England began her May Continental tour with a 1-0 defeat by a French team which had already beaten Germany, Spain, and Sweden, England, with two new 'Under-23' caps, also did not play as well as expected. The game was hard but scrappy, and the English forwards seldom co-ordinated their movements in the way they had done at Wembley. Nevertheless they were resented with enough chances to win, if only they had taken them, and they could be said to have been unfortunate to have lost as a result of a penalty-kick (taken by Kopa).
Williams made several splendid saves and Wright defended as brilliantly as ever; our wing-halves and inside-forwards on the other hand showed a general lack of constructive idea. The French captain and left-back clung to Matthews like a leech, and on that foundation the home team steadily built up a mid-field superiority, with left-half Louis the outstanding player. It was a disappointing and somewhat discouragement start to the tour.

International Football Results (15 May 1955)
Yugoslavia 2 Scotland 2
 
Stadion Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija, Beograd (18,000)
Veselinović, Vukas ~ Reilly, Smith
Scotland came from behind twice in the first half, in the first match of their tour of central Europe.

       In Other News....
It was on 15 May 1955 that the Austrian State Treaty was signed in Vienna by Austria, France, the United Kingdom, United States and the USSR to end its military occupation by allied forces following World War II and to re-establish Austria as an independent state.
              Source Notes
TheFA.com
FFF.fr
Allezlesbleus.free.fr
The Complete Book of the British Charts
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record

Norman Giller, Football Author
cg