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Danmark

 
298 vs. Denmark
 
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next senior match (122 days)
311 vs. Scotland

313 vs. Denmark
Wednesday, 5 December 1956
VM Coupe Jules Rimet Fotboll UEFA Group One Qualification Match


England 5 Denmark 2
[2-1]

 
 
Molineux Football Ground, Waterloo Road North, St Peter's, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire
Kick-off (GMT): 7.30pm
Attendance:
54,083; (floodlit)
unknown kicked off
[1-0] Tommy Taylor 2
 'Tom Finney drew Hansen and Larsen to his left wing, he slipped the ball thru' to Taylor's right boot.'
[1-0] Duncan Edwards smashes shot against post 4
[2-0] Tommy Taylor 20
 'chested down and skid home Tom Finney's cross that was just out of keeper's reach'
   







[2-0] Ove Bech Nielsen strike hits crossbar 27
[2-1] Ove Bech Nielsen 30
'A bad header by Byrne sent Jørgen Hansen to centre for Nielsen to score with a scrambled shot in off a post.'
7.0 News. 7.15 The Grove Family 8.0 The Burns and Allen Show
8.25
Football: England v. Denmark
9.15 The Yana Show 10.0 Commonwealth Magazine 10.30 News
ITV were showing A Time To Be Born
[3-1] Tommy Taylor 53 HATTRICK
 'clashed in a challenge with Ove Hansen for Roger Byrne's long lob. Hansen stumbled and Taylor shot in.


 
[4-2] Duncan Edwards 75
 'a left-foot shot 'screamer' beat the goalkeeper all the way from twenty yards'
following a Stan Matthews crossfield pass
[4-2] Duncan Edwards free-kick strikes the post 76
[5-2] Duncan Edwards 77
 'tried another long-distance crack at goal and when the ball struck Hansen it was deflected past his goalkeeper who moved across his goal in the other direction.'

 'another power-packed Edwards shot that hit the defender on its screaming path to goal and rocketed past Drengsgaard'
 'Edwards hit another rocket in off right-back Larsen'.
 'The ball struck a defender and deflected past Drengsgaard'
 'Stan Matthews reached him with a perfect 30-yard ground pass to the edge of the penalty area, his pulled, spinning shot curved past Drengsgaard'



[3-2] Ove Bech Nielsen 73
'Bent Pedersen with an inside-forward's pass gave Nielsen a clear run in'
This week's Music Charts

second half live - Commentator: Kenneth Wolstenholme  "The whole of Europe watched the second half on TV"
 
"TAYLOR GETS WORLD CUP HAT-TRICK" Daily Mirror
Officials from France England Party FIFA ruling on substitutes Denmark
Referee
Maurice Alexandre Guige
44 (4 August 1912), Arles
The World Cup ruling of not allowing a substitute at any time, is in place.

Linesmen
tbc tbc
  
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, red socks with white tops.
P 17th of 43, W 10 - D 4 - L 3 - F 47 - A 21.
Captain Billy Wright Manager Walter Winterbottom, 43 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
record 66th of 90, W 39 - D 13 - L 14 - F 168 - A 97. P 84th of 139, W 52 - D 17 - L 15 - F 242 - A 118, one abandoned.
  ³ Team chosen by Selection Committee, headed by Joe Mears, on Saturday, 1 December.
England Lineup
  two changes to the previous match (Taylor & Edwards>Haynes & Blunstone) league position (1 December)  
  Ditchburn, Edwin G. 35
42 days
24 October 1921 G Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL 2nd) 6 9ᵍᵃ
final app 1948-56
2 Hall, Jeffrey J. 27
89 days
7 September 1929 RB Birmingham City FC (FL 4th) 13 0
3
Byrne, Roger W. 27
88 days
8 September 1929 LB Manchester United FC (FL TOP) 26 0
4 Clayton, Ronald 22
122 days
5 August 1934 RHB Blackburn Rovers FC (FL2 13th) 10 0
5 Wright, William A. 32
303 days
6 February 1924 CHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 8th) 81 3
most apps 1952-56
6 Dickinson, James W. 31
225 days
24 April 1925 LHB Portsmouth FC (FL 20th) 48 0
final app 1949-56
7
Matthews, Stanley 41
308 days
1 February 1915 OR Blackpool FC (FL 5th) 51 10
oldest outfield player
8 Brooks, John 24
348 days
23 December 1931 IR Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL 2nd) 3 2
9
Taylor, Thomas 24
306 days
29 January 1932 CF
 
Manchester United FC (FL TOP)
 
13
 
9
 
the 184th (51st post-war) brace, the 49th (twelfth post-war) hattrick scored
10
Edwards, Duncan 20
65 days
1 October 1936 IL Manchester United FC (FL TOP) 11 3
the 185th (52nd post-war) brace scored
11
Finney, Thomas 34
244 days
5 April 1922 OL Preston North End FC (FL 9th) 63 27
reserve to travel: Tony Marchi (Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL 2nd)).
team notes: Billy Wright extends his record appearance tally, in his record 46th consecutive match.
pre-match notes: The England starting XIs lost a twenty-minute each-way practice match against West Bromwich Albion FC at The Hawthorns on Tuesday, 4th. West Bromwich won the match 4-2 with Tommy Taylor and Ronnie Clayton scoring for England.
records: This is the thirteenth consecutive match in which Jeff Hall and Roger Byrne have been partners at the back, equaling the record set by Laurie Scott and George Hardwick.
England end 1956 equaling numerous records:- most matches - nine, for a fourth time; most victories - six, for a fifth time; unbeaten for the fourth time since the war. They have also now scored 25 goals in a calendar year twice since the war.
goalscoring records: Tommy Taylor ends the year as top goalscorer, scoring seven goals across eight matches, including one hattrick.
 
2-3-5 Ditchburn -
Hall, Byrne -
Clayton, Wright, Dickinson -
Matthews, Brooks, Taylor, Edwards, Finney.
Averages: Age 29 years 131 days Appearances/Goals 29.5 4.5
most experienced starting XI so far
 
Denmark Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 34th to 35th
Colours Red collared jerseys, white shorts, black socks
Captain Åge Rou Jensen Manager Arne Sørensen, 39 (27 November 1917), appointed as a part-tome coach May 1956
sixth match, W 1 - D 1 - L 4 - F 13 - A 20
Denmark Lineup
  Drengsgaard, Theil 29
274 days
6 March 1927 G Skovshoved IF 1 5ᵍᵃ
2 Larsen, Erling Linde 25
26 days
9 November 1931 RB Boldklubben af 1909 4 0
3 Nielsen, Eigel Verner 25
205 days
14 May 1931 LB Akademisk Bk 11 0
4 Nielsen, Flemming G. 22
285 days
24 February 1934 RHB Boldklubben af 1893 2 0
5 Hansen, Ove 27
6 days
29 November 1929 CHB Esbjerg fB 5 0
6 Olesen, Jørgen 32
319 days
21 January 1924 LHB Århus Gymnastikforening 24 2
7
Hansen, Jørgen 24
303 days
24 December 1931 OR Næstved If 12 1
8
Pedersen, Bent 28
145 days
13 July 1928 IR Horsens FS 2 0
final app 1956
9
Nielsen, Ove Bech 24
124 days
3 August 1932 CF Akademisk Bk 5 2
10 Jensen, Åge Rou 32
72 days
24 September 1924 IL Århus Gymnastikforening 25 10
11 Hansen, Jens Peder 29
265 days
15 March 1927 OL Esbjerg fB 31 13
reserves: not known
post match notes: Captain Åge Rou Jensen collapsed at the F.A. banquet that followed two hours after the match. He spent the night in the Royal Hospital, Wolverhampton, suffering with 'a slight concussion'.
 
2-3-5 Drengsgaard -
Larsen,
V.Nielsen -
F.Nielsen, O.Hansen, Olesen -
J.Hansen, Petersen, O.B.Nielsen, Jensen, P.Hansen
Averages: Age 27 years 174 days Appearances/Goals 11.1 2.4
 
              Match Report by Mike Payne

ENGLAND made their first strides towards the 1958 World Cup Finals with this hard-fought win against the gallant amateurs of Denmark. But the home side certainly made hard work of it even though they got off to the perfect start.

Only two minutes had gone when Tom Finney made a superb daring run inside before a slide rule pass gave Tommy Taylor a simple goal. The expected pattern of England domination continued for awhile and after 20 minutes they increased their lead. Again Finney was the goalmaker. His clever body swerves and electric pace left Larsen groping and Taylor was again on the end of the final pass.

Not unnaturally England tended to relax after this opening but they were almost made to pay by a spirited fightback by Denmark. Their tricky wingers J.Hansen and P.Hansen gave Roger Byrne and Jeff Hall a difficult time and Billy Wright saw his defenders pinned back on their heels by a brave effort from the Danes.

One splendid move involving all their forwards ended with O.Nielsen hitting a shot against Ted Ditchburn's crossbar. On the half-hour the visitors gained their due reward by scoring a fine goal. P.Hansen sent J.Hansen away on the right and this time O.Nielsen  ended the move  by striking a good shot just inside a post.


So, at half-time, it was 2-1, but eight minutes after the turnaround Taylor completed a fine hat-trick when he latched on to a mistake by O.Hansen after a long clearance by Byrne. That put England back in command but, to their credit, Denmark stubbornly refused to give in and after 73 minutes they again pulled a goal back. Pedersen seized on a mistake in midfield by Duncan Edwards and put a lovely pass through for O.Nielsen to once more shoot past Ditchburn.

That put the game back in the melting pot but by this time the extra power and fitness of England began to show and Denmark's challenge was finally killed off by a wonderful goal by Edwards. Stan Matthews, largely anonymous up to now, suddenly produced one of his typical runs before hitting a crossfield pass into the path of Edwards. The powerful midfield player met it brilliantly t0 unleash a ferocious shot which almost burst through the net.

That goal came in the 75th minute and almost immediately Edwards again showed his powerhouse shooting when he nearly uprooted a post with another blockbuster from a free-kick.

Towards the end of the game Edwards completed the scoring with yet another fierce shot after a flick by Matthews. The crowd gave the Danes some generous applause at the end, though, as they realised what a lot of effort they had put into their play. It seemed a shame that they would not be competing in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, withdrawing because they felt they might be outclassed.

Finney, in the first half especially, Taylor and Edwards were the pick of the England side, with Ronnie Clayton and Matthews coming on strong at the end.

  

              Match Report by Norman Giller

England's World Cup campaign got under way with this convincing victory over Denmark on Billy Wright's home ground of Molineux. The match was distinguished by a hat-trick from Tommy Taylor and two spectacular goals from his Manchester United team-mate Duncan Edwards, who played at inside-left in place of the injured Johnny Haynes. Edwards scored with two booming long-range shots, had another shot wondrously saved and nearly uprooted a post with another thunderbolt from a free-kick. England had been drawn in a three team group with Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, and this convincing performance underlined why they were rated among the favourites for the World Cup. It was as if Manchester United had taken over Molineux! Roger Byrne was the outstanding player in England's defence, and up front Tommy Taylor and Duncan Edwards showed the power that had taken United to the top of the First Division in defence of their title. It was like a home match for Duncan, who had many of his family from Dudley watching from the stand.
    

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

England began their series of preliminary matches for the 1958 World Cup with a victory over Denmark at Wolverhampton by 5 goals to 2. But with only half an hour to go the gallant Danish amateurs were only one goal down at 3-2 and it was clear that their great fight had the sympathy of many of the 54,000 spectators. Two powerful goals from terrific drives by Edwards finally subdued the Danes, who refused to be dismayed at Taylor's hat-trick which began with a lovely goal in the second minute.
  

        In Other News....
It was on 5 December 1956 that 26-year-old Richard Henley of the Canadian Royal Navy was sentenced to death after pleading guilty to the murder of 36-year-old bookshop assistant, Alan Robinson in Soho. Whilst on shore leave, Henley had attempted to steal three pornographic films and a box of 784 photos worth £264 to satisfy his self-confessed addiction, and shot the assistant in a panic when he tried to stop him. Two weeks later, perhaps mindful of the diplomatic implications of a Canadian sailor being executed in Britain, Home Secretary, Gwilym Lloyd George reprieved Henley and commuted his sentence to 15 years in prison. The USSR came from behind with eight minutes left of extra time to beat Great Britain's conquerors, Bulgaria, 2-1 in the Olympic semi-final in Melbourne. Two days later, they won the gold by defeating Yugoslavia in the final.
              Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Official matchday programme
DBU.dk
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record
Norman Giller, Football Author
The Complete Book of the British Charts
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