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286 vs. Yugoslavia

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320 vs. Yugoslavia
Wednesday, 28 November 1956
International Friendly Match


England 3 Yugoslavia 0
[1-0]

 
 
Empire Stadium, Empire Way, Wembley Park, Wembley, Middlesex
Kick-off (GMT): 2.30pm
Attendance: '70,000'
; Receipts: '£32,780'. (floodlit for final five minutes)
Billy Wright wins the toss Yugoslavia kicked-off
[1-0] Johnny Brooks 12
 'a stinging left-footed drive from near the penalty spot'
after Johnny Haynes rolled the ball into a gap from a Matthews pass
 
2.25 Football: England v. Yugoslavia
4.15 Watch With Mother: The Flowerpot Men 4.30 Twice Twenty 5.0 Children 7.0 News 7.20 Highlight 7.30 The Grove Family
ITV did not broadcast until
4.0
Fashions in Silk
[2-0] Tommy Taylor 59
 'an unmissable chance'
right-footed from 5yds after Brooks missed a Tom Finney ball from the goalline

[2-0]
Roger Byrne penalty 79

 
"Beara pushed Byrne's right-footed penalty kick around the post" as he dived to his left
 (Stankovic fouled Matthews)

[3-0] Tommy Taylor 88
 right-footed strike from 7yds after Frank Blunstone centred a Matthews ball from the goalline
 
This week's Music Charts

Commentator: Kenneth Wolstenholme
 
"HAYNES LIMPS OUT OF 2 BIG GAMES" Daily Mirror
Officials from France England FIFA ruling on substitutes Yugoslavia
Referee (black blazer)
Édouard Eugène Harzic
50 (25 September 1906), Amiens
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.

The teams were presented to the Lord Mayor of London.
flame flag               Linesmen            orange flag
Marcel Lequesne
45 (31 January 1911), Oissel
Pierre August Jean Schwinte
34 (6 March 1922), Strasbourg
  
England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 4th
Colours The 1954 Umbro home uniform - White v-necked short-sleeved continental jerseys, blue shorts, black socks with white tops.
P 16th of 43, W 9 - D 4 - L 3 - F 42 - A 19.
Captain Billy Wright Manager Walter Winterbottom, 43 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
record 65th of 90, W 38 - D 13 - L 14 - F 163 - A 95. P 83rd of 139, W 51 - D 17 - L 15 - F 237 - A 116, one abandoned
  ³ Team chosen by Selection Committee, headed by Joe Mears, on Thursday, 22 November.
England Lineup
  one changes to the previous match (Blunstone>Grainger) league position (27 November)  
  Ditchburn, Edwin G. 35
35 days
24 October 1921 G Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL 2nd) 5 7ᵍᵃ
2 Hall, Jeffrey J. 27
82 days
7 September 1929 RB Birmingham City FC (FL 5th) 12 0
3 Byrne, Roger W. 27
81 days
8 September 1929 LB Manchester United FC (FL TOP) 25 ²
15th penalty missed (32nd taken overall)
     
4 Clayton, Ronald 22
115 days
5 August 1934 RHB Blackburn Rovers FC (FL2 15th) 9 0
5 Wright, William A. 32
296 days
6 February 1924 CHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 7th) 80 3
most apps 1952-56
6 Dickinson, James W. 31
218 days
24 April 1925 LHB Portsmouth FC (FL 20th) 47 0
7 Matthews, Stanley 41
301 days
1 February 1915 OR Blackpool FC (FL 4th) 50 10
oldest outfield player the third and oldest player to reach the 50-app milestone
8
Brooks, John 24
341 days
23 December 1931 IR/CF Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL 2nd) 2 2
9
Finney, Thomas 34
237 days
5 April 1922 CF/IL Preston North End FC (FL 11th) 62 27
10
Haynes, John N., injured off 35th min. 22
42 days
17 October 1934 IL Fulham FC (FL2 11th) 10 5
11
Blunstone, Frank 22
42 days
17 October 1934 OL Chelsea FC (FL 14th) 5 0
final app 1954-56
England Substitute
scoreline: England 1 Yugoslavia 0

Taylor, Thomas, on 35th min. for Haynes 24
299 days

29 January 1932
 
 
 
IR/CF
 
 

Manchester United FC (FL TOP)
 

 

12

 

11 6

 
 
1
the 183rd (50th post-war) brace scored  
  third sub to score, second to score twice  
"Taylor, in an un-numbered shirt"
result: England 3 Yugoslavia 0
unused substitutes: Ray Wood and Duncan Edwards (both Manchester United FC (FL TOP)) and Don Howe (West Bromwich Albion FC (FL 9th))
team notes: Billy Wright extends his record appearance tally, in his record 45th consecutive match.
"Johnny Haynes was injured in the 35th minute, damaging a leg as he was tackled in the penalty area. At first Edwards slipped off his tracksuit but after discussion among the reserves, Winterbottom sent on Taylor."
"Haynes was carried off the pitch cradled like a babe in the arms of goalkeeper Vladimir Beara."
pre-match notes: On the Tuesday, 27th, the England players beat Arsenal FC 3-0 in a 40-minute practice match at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury. Tom Finney (2) and Johnny Brooks scoring. Roger Byrne started the session, but was rested after a while, with Don Howe replacing him.
substitute notes: Tommy Taylor is the fourth substitute to be used by England since May 1950, but he is the first to be used at home, and the first England substitute at Wembley.
records: Not since October 1928 have England failed to convert four penalty kicks in a row.
England win a record eighth match in a row at Wembley, extending their tally. It also extends their record sequence of eight matches unbeaten at the stadium.
The previous player to make the fiftieth appearance milestone was Tom Finney, also against Yugoslavia, May 1954.
Frank Blunstone is the fiftieth player in the Winterbottom/ISC era to make five England appearances.
Whereas Roger Byrne is the tenth player to make 25 appearances in the same era.
Don Howe is the 130th different England player to be named on a Winterbottom/ISC teamsheet.
 
2-3-5 Ditchburn -
Hall, Byrne -
Clayton, Wright, Dickinson -
Matthews, Brooks, Finney, Haynes
(Taylor), Blunstone.
notes: for the final ten minutes of the first half, following Taylor's substitution - Finney replaced Haynes at inside-left, with Brooks in the centre and Taylor on the right. Finney remained on the left in the second half.
Averages: (start)
(finish)
Age 29 years 99 days
29 years 189 days
Appearances/Goals 27.9
28.1
4.0
4.4
most experienced starting XI so far
 
Yugoslavia Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 9th
Colours "The blue shirted Yugoslavs".
...with wing collars, white shorts, red socks.
Captain Ivan Horvat Chief Selection Aleksandar Tirnanić, 45 (15 July 1911) since 1955.
Team announced Monday, 26 November
Yugoslavia Lineup
1 Beara, Vladimir 28
26 days
2 November 1928 G Fk Crvena zvezda 46 61ᵍᵃ
2 Belin, Bruno 27
312 days
16 January 1929 RB Fk Partizan 16 0
3 Stanković, Branko 35
28 days
31 October 1921 LB Fk Crvena zvezda 61 3
final app 1946-59
4 Tasić, Lazar 25
237 days
5 April 1931 RHB Fk Crvena Zvezda 7 0
5 Horvat, Ivan 30
135 days
16 July 1926 CHB nk Dinamo Zagreb 60 0
final app 1946-56
6 Boškov, Vujadin 25
186 days
16 May 1931 LHB Fk Vojvodina 44 0
7 Rajkov, Zdravko 28
359 days
5 December 1927 OR Fk Vojvodina 20 8
8 Čonč, Vladimir 28
315 days
13 January 1928 IR Fk Dinamo 1 0
only app 1956
9 Toplak, Ivan 25
68 days
21 September 1931 CF NK Odred 1 0
10 Vukas, Bernard 29
211 days
1 May 1927 IL Hnk Hajduk Split 56 15
11 Zebec, Branko 27
185 days
17 May 1929 OL Fk Partizan 39 9
unused substitutes: not known, but probably Aleksandar Petaković, Miloš Milutinović (Fk Partizan) and Tihomir Orgjanov (Fk Crvena Zvezda)
 
2-3-5 Beara -
Belin, Stanković -
Tasić, Horvat, Boškov -
Rajkov, Čonč, Toplak, Vukas, Zebec.
Averages: Age 28 years 159 days Appearances/Goals 31.9 3.2
most experienced post war opposing XI so far
 
              Match Report by Mike Payne

THIS was England's fourth meeting with Yugoslavia, the first had come some 17 years earlier, and at last, on a rain-soaked Wembley pitch, they finally gained their first victory. But for Beara in the visitors' goal, the score might have been doubled.

Right from the start England set about the Yugoslavs with an abundance of attacking flair. At the centre of the inspired play was Stanley Matthews. The England maestro had played in that first meeting in Belgrade all those years ago and by the end of this match he had more than exacted revenge for the 2-1 defeat then. The Yugoslav defenders tried everything they knew to stop him and resorted to many variations of the 'tackle'. Sometimes it was more suited to Twickenham than Wembley!


In the first half-hour England put together some lovely football. With Matthews and Tom Finney at their brilliant best and Johnny Haynes and Johnny Brooks setting up some super moves, goalkeeper Beara had every opportunity to show his class and agility. He made a breathtaking one-handed save from a Haynes thunderbolt after some brilliant play by Matthews and Finney. Then a Ronnie Clayton through ball sent Brooks racing clear, only for Beara to make another fine save from the final shot.

On 13 minutes, though, England took a deserved lead. A goal-kick by Ted Ditchburn gave Matthews and Finney the chance to combine down the left. Matthews passed to Haynes, who immediately turned the ball square for Brooks to ghost in and crash his hot into the roof of the net.

Straight after the goal Beara again produced heroics to deny Matthews a goal after another brilliant burst. Sadly for England their rhythm was upset on the half-hour when Haynes had to go off injured after being tackled in the act of shooting. Tommy Taylor came on to replace and Finney moved to inside-right with Brooks moving over to partner Frank Blunstone.

For a quarter of an hour either side of half-time, England lost control of the midfield, but during this stage of the game their half-back line was magnificent. With Bukas showing all his undoubted skills and Zebec showing tremendous pace, England had to hold steady. But Billy Wright, Clayton and Jimmy Dickinson controlled things so superbly that Ditchburn was rarely troubled.

With 25 minutes left the result was finally put beyond doubt. Finney, who continually left Horvat stranded, set off on a longer run, holding the ball and evading desperate tackles. He weaved his way to the right-hand by-line before turning the ball neatly inside where Taylor was left with the simple task of firing into an empty net.

By this time the rain was lashing down and in the last 15 minutes it was all England. Matthews, for the upteenth time, was scythed down by Stanković. This time though it was in the penalty area and Roger Byrne stepped up for the spot-kick. Once again it was Beara to the rescue as he leapt like a salmon to save the ball a foot inside the post. But England were not to be denied and they kept ip the pressure. The floodlights came on five minutes from the end to lift the gloom and soon Frank Blunstone was heading just wide from yet another Matthews cross.

Then, with the last minute ticking away, Matthews again passed to Blunstone and this time the Chelsea winger gave Taylor a second chance to fire into an empty net.

It was an excellent victory with Matthews brilliant throughout and Finney outstanding. The only blot came with the news that Haynes' injury looked like keeping him ot of the side for the following week's World Cup match against Denmark at Molineux.

  

              Match Report by Norman Giller

Johnny Haynes was heavily tackled by Yugoslav right-back Belin in the thirtieth minute, and was unable to continue. It had been agreed beforehand that substitutes would be allowed in the case of injury and Tommy Taylor came on in place of the limping Fulham player. England had taken a thirteenth minute lead when Johnny Brooks fired the ball high into the net after taking a neat pass from Haynes. England dominated throughout the second half and Taylor scored twice, while his Manchester United team-mate Roger Byrne had a penalty saved by world-class Yugoslav goalkeeper Vladimir Beara. Stanley Matthews ran the Yugoslav left-back into such a state of confusion that he finally resorted to rugby tackling him in a bid to stop his dribbling runs. England would have had half a dozen goals but for the magnificent goalkeeping of Beara. The Yugoslavs had no idea how to contain Stanley Matthews, and after he had been rugby tackled he said "For a minute I thought the game had been switched to Twickenham."
  

              Match Report by Glen Isherwood

Yugoslavia were unbeaten in their three previous meetings with England. England had lost twice in Belgrade and there had been a 2-2 draw at Highbury in 1950. Yugoslavia had beaten Great Britain in the 1948 Olympic semi-final at Wembley before losing the final. They had also lost the 1952 final 2-0 to Hungary in Helsinki and six of that side were appearing at Wembley, In the 1954 World Cup they had reached the quarter-finals, like England, but lost to eventual winners West Germany.
England took the lead in the 13th minute. From a pass by Haynes, Johnny Brooks ran in and found the target with a well-hit shot. In the 65th minute Finney expertly drew the defence with a mazy dribble and then passed to substitute Tommy Taylor who scored the second. Ten minutes later Matthews was upended by Stankovic (who had been sent off in the 1948 Olympic final) but Beara saved Byrne's penalty kick. England's fourth Wembley miss in just under 12 months. But in the dying seconds Taylor scored again, this time from Blunstone's pass.

  

              Match Report as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1957-58 pages 32-33

England defeated Yugoslavia at Wembley before 70,000 as comfortably as the score suggests. Both teams showed skill and artistry in mid-field but, while England created the final openings from which their goals were scored, the attacks of the Yugoslavs petered out as they reached the England penalty area. After good work by England's forwards, Brooks scored the first goal after 12 minutes. The England attack became somewhat disorganised after Haynes was compelled to leave the field because of an injury, but Taylor, who came on as substitute, scored twice in the second half and, in spite of some acrobatic saves by the Yugoslav goalkeeper, England fully deserved their victory.
  

Other Football Results  
Football League Division Three (South): 
 
Norwich City 0 Southampton 3
 
Carrow Road, Norwich (8,094)
Mulgrew, Reeves, Day
    
    
Southampton used their game in hand to good advantage and went four points clear under the floodlights at Norwich, but they began 1957 with seven defeats from their first eight league games and finished fourth at the end of the season.
Division Three (South) Top Three:
Team P Home Away F A
W D L W D L
Southampton 20 9 2 0 4 2 3 36 16 30
                     
Torquay United 20 7 2 0 3 4 4 38 31 26
Colchester United 20 8 3 0 2 2 5 41 25 25

Friendly match:
Portsmouth 2 MTK Budapest 1
Fratton Park, Portsmouth (22,008)
Henderson, Harris ~ Palotás
Scottish champions, Rangers lost 3-1 to Nice in a European Cup first-round play-off in Paris.
 
        In Other News....
It was on 27 November 1956 that the American play, 'The Diary of Anne Frank' was performed for the first time in the Netherlands, before Queen Juliana, in Amsterdam, the city in which Anne wrote her diary between the ages of 13 and 15 whilst hiding in a secret annexe from the Nazi persecution of the Jews. She died in a concentration camp in 1945. The play moved on to London's West End for the first time, two nights later, at the Phoenix Theatre. Yugoslavia thrashed the United States, 9-1 in Melbourne in the Olympic quarter-finals, and went on to reach the final, but only picked up silver medals for the third successive tournament.
              Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Official matchday programme
Reprezentacija.rs
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
Drew Herbertson, Scottish FA historian
British Pathé
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