270 vs. Italy
previous match
(25 days)
329 vs. Scotland
330 next
match
(tomorrow)
'U23' 16
vs. Italy
349 vs. Italy |
|
Wednesday,
6 May
1959
End of Season Friendly Match
England 2 Italy 2
[2-0]
|
|
|
Empire Stadium, Empire Way, Wembley Park,
Wembley, Middlesex Kick-off (BST):
3.00pm Attendance:
'90,000'; other sources
state 91,000 |
|
|
Billy Wright won the toss |
Sergio Brighenti kicked off |
|
[1-0] Bobby Charlton 27
'hit a pass from Ronnie Clayton
with his left foot straight against the iron stanchion in the far
corner of the net'.
[2-0] Warren Bradley
38 'Haynes shot for goal,
hit a defender and a second rebound went to Bradley. He hooked it into
the net with his left foot'. |
|
1.0 Beunydd 2.0 Cricket
Scores 2.05 Schools: Science and life
2.30 Watch With Mother: The Flowerpot Men
2.45 Football: England v. Italy 5.0
Children 6.0 News and Sport 6.20
A Dog's Chance 6.45 Tonight 7.25
News |
|
|
Ron Flowers head injury 10 men
49
Ron Flowers return 11 men
61 |
[2-1]
Sergio Brighenti 56
'held off Shaw's challenge in the right-hand corner of area and coolly lobbed the ball over Hopkinson.'
[2-2]
Amos Mariani 61 'a
hefty clearance found Giancarlo Galli. He put the ball
through to Mariani
who ran two smooth strides and smashed in a beautiful angled shot.' |
|
Commentator: Kenneth Wostenholme |
|
|
"OH!
BILLY BOY! CALL IT A DAY" Peter
Wilson, Daily Mirror |
Officials
from West Germany |
England Party |
FIFA ruling on substitutes |
Italy |
Referee
(black)
Albert Dusch
46 (6 December 1912), Kaiserslautern |
Before the match, the Empire Stadium band (the Massed Bands of the
Green Jackets) played
Marcia Reale for Italy's national anthem. It should have been Inno di Mameli.
THE FACTS as reported in the Daily News...
Shots—by
England 16 (10 furst half), by Italy 22 (13 first half). Corners—to England 2, to
Italy 6. Goal-kicks—by England 12, by Italy 8.
Off-side—by England fowards 7, by Italy 4. Fouls—by England
2 by Italy 16. |
flame flag
Linesmen orange flag |
A. Meissner
|
H. Fischer |
|
|
England
Team |
|
Rank |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 4th |
Colours |
The 1954 Umbro
home uniform -
White v-necked short-sleeved continental jerseys, dark blue shorts, red
socks with white calf hoop. |
P 36th of 43, W 18 - D 12 - L 6 - F 92 - A 47. |
Captain |
Billy Wright |
Manager |
Walter Winterbottom, 46 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946; |
rec. 86th of 90, W 48 - D 21 - L 17 - F 214 - A 123. |
Trainer: Harold Shepherdson |
P 104th of 139,
W 61 - D 25 - L 18 - F 288 - A 144,
one abandoned. |
|
³ |
|
Team chosen by Selection Committee, headed by Joe Mears, on
20 April. |
England
Lineup |
|
one change
to the previous match
(Bradley>Douglas) |
league position
(20 April) |
|
|
Hopkinson, Edward |
23
189 days |
29 October 1935 |
G |
Bolton Wanderers FC
(FL 4th) |
8 |
11ᵍᵃ |
2 |
Howe, Donald |
23
206 days |
12 October 1935 |
RB |
West Bromwich Albion FC
(FL 8th) |
16 |
0 |
3 |
Shaw, Graham L. |
24
301 days |
9 July 1934 |
LB |
Sheffield United FC
(FL2 3rd) |
4 |
0 |
4
|
Clayton, Ronald |
24 274 days |
5 August 1934 |
RHB |
Blackburn Rovers FC
(FL 9th) |
26 |
0 |
5 |
Wright, William A. |
35 89 days |
6 February 1924 |
CHB |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC (FL TOP) |
101 |
3 |
most apps
1946-59 |
6 |
Flowers, Ronald,
injured 49th min. |
24 282 days |
28 July 1934 |
LHB |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC (FL TOP) |
4 |
0 |
777 |
7
|
Bradley, Warren |
25 282 days |
20 June 1933 |
OR |
Manchester United FC
(FL 2nd) |
1 |
1 |
the 21st United player to
represent England |
8 |
Broadbent, Peter F. |
25 356 days |
15 May 1933 |
IR |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC (FL TOP) |
5 |
2 |
9
|
Charlton, Robert |
21 207 days |
11 October 1937 |
CF |
Manchester United FC
(FL 2nd) |
8 |
8 |
10 |
Haynes, John N. |
24 201 days |
17 October 1934 |
IL/
LHB |
Fulham FC
(FL2 2nd) |
28 |
12 |
11 |
Holden, A. Douglas |
28
220 days |
28 September 1930 |
OL |
Bolton Wanderers FC
(FL 4th) |
2 |
0 |
reserves: |
Ron Baynham (Luton Town FC (FL 18th)),
Norman Deeley (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
(FL TOP)),
Roy Gratrix (Blackpool FC
(FL 6th)),
Wilf McGuinness (Manchester United FC
(FL 2nd)),
Derek Kevan (West Bromwich Albion FC
(FL 8th)). |
team notes: |
Billy Wright extends his record appearance tally, in his record 66th
consecutive match. Warren Bradley, although the 147th player to
score on his England debut, becomes just the tenth to score on his
England debut at the Empire Stadium. Graham Shaw and Ronnie Clayton
become the seventieth players to have made four-or-more England
appearances under Winterbottom/ISC/post-war. Ron Flowers received a head
injury following a mid-air collision with Sergio Brighenti. It was
while he was off the field that the Italians got their two goals. He
returned after twelve minutes treatment with a fractured nose. |
The England party stayed in Hendon Hall and trained on the Bank of England
Sports Ground in Roehampton. |
|
2-3-5 |
Hopkinson - Howe, Shaw - Clayton, Wright, Flowers -
Bradley, Broadbent, Charlton, Haynes, Holden.
notes: when Flowers was injured, it was
Haynes who dropped back in defence |
Averages: |
Age |
25 years 275
days |
Appearances/Goals |
18.5 |
2.3 |
|
|
Italy
Team |
|
Rank |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 18th |
Colours |
Blue crew necked long-sleeved jerseys, white socks, blue socks
with two thin white hoops. |
Captain |
Aramndo Segato |
Selection |
Federacion Technical Committee Team announced on Monday,
20 April. |
Member-in-charge: Bruno Zauli Trainer:
Giovanni Ferrari |
Italy
Lineup |
1 |
Buffon, Lorenzo |
29 138 days |
19 December 1929 |
G |
AC
Milan |
4 |
6ᵍᵃ |
2 |
Robotti, Enzo |
23 327 days |
13 June 1935 |
RB |
AC
Fiorentina |
3 |
0 |
3 |
Castelletti, Sergio |
21 149 days |
30 December 1937 |
LB |
AC
Fiorentina |
3 |
0 |
4 |
Zaglio, Franco |
22 142 days |
23 December 1936 |
RHB |
AS
Roma |
2 |
0 |
final app
1959 |
5 |
Bernasconi, Gaudenzio |
26 271 days |
8 August 1932 |
CHB |
UC
Sampdoria |
6 |
0 |
final app
1956-59 |
6 |
Segato, Armando |
29 3 days |
3 May 1930 |
LHB |
AC
Fiorentina |
19 |
0 |
7
|
Mariani, Amos |
28 37 days |
30 March 1931 |
OR |
AC
Padova |
3 |
2 |
8 |
Gratton, Guido |
26 225 days |
23 September 1932 |
IR |
AC
Fiorentina |
11 |
3 |
final app
1953-59 |
9
|
Brighenti, Sergio |
26 225 days |
23 September 1932 |
CF |
AC
Padova |
1 |
1 |
10
|
Galli, Giancarlo |
28 61 days |
6 March 1931 |
IL |
AC
Milan |
12 |
4 |
11 |
Petris, Gianfranco |
21 252 days |
27 August 1936 |
OL |
AC
Fiorentina |
2 |
1 |
reserves: |
Luciano Panetti (AS Roma), Benito Sarti (UC Sampdoria), Umberto
Colombo (Juventus FC) and Mario Mazzoni (AS Bari). |
team changes: |
There was one player change which forced numerous positional changes
to the team originally announced. The inclusion of Mariani forced the
changes. Galli was named as the original
outside-right and Giampiero Boniperti on his inside. Gratton was named as the
inside-left. Boniperti is carrying an injury. |
team notes: |
The Italian Federation chose seventeen players to report for training
on 22 April. They arrived at London Airport on Thursday, 4th May, with
fifteen players. The Italians were
fielding the first all home-born team for twenty-five years following
a ruling from FIFA that in future teams could not include players
capped by another country. |
The Italians made full use of the Arsenal Stadium ground at Highbury, before
and after the England-Young England fixture. |
|
2-3-5 |
Buffon - Robotti, Castelletti -
Zaglio, Bernasconi, Segato - Mariani, Gratton, Brighenti, Galli, Petris |
Averages: |
Age |
25 years 311
days |
Appearances/Goals |
6.0 |
0.8 |
Following the match, both sets of players enjoyed a traditional
banquet at the Park Lane Hotel. Traffic delayed the start until 7.40pm.
'The
menu was smoked salmon and buttered shrimps; sole; medallion of beef,
potatoes; and a soufflé followed by coffee.' |
|
|
Match Report
by Mike Payne |
WEMBLEY
Stadium was packed with 91,000 people to see an entertaining match, albeit
with an indifferent display by England. Sometimes they were brilliant,
other times dismal, too often the latter for the home fans. In the end the
Italians deserved their draw, delighting the huge following that England
provided them with. Indeed, every Italian restaurant in London must have
been deserted as the afternoon was turned into a Roman holiday.
England began brightly and the inside trio of
Peter Broadbent, Bobby Charlton and Johnny Haynes were quickly into their
stride. However, it was the Italians who had the first two dangerous
strikes at goal. Don Howe and Graham Shaw both came to England's rescue
with goal-line clearances after Eddie Hopkinson was beaten by shots from
Mariani and Galli. Immediately, though, Charlton struck back. A superb
side-step and a thunderous left-foot shot was brilliantly tipped away by
Buffon. Seconds later, in the 26th minute, Charlton gave England the lead
with a real beauty.
Picking up a pass from Broadbent, he
cleverly skipped around Bernasconi, moved forward and hit a superb low
left-foot shot just inside the post fro the edge of the penalty area. It
was typical Charlton.
By this time England were moving well and
five minutes before the break they increased their lead with another
splendid goal. A lovely interpassing movement involving Haynes, Charlton
and Haynes again, then brought Doug Holden into the move down the right.
His deep cross was met on the volley by Haynes and although the shot was
blocked, Warren Bradley did some clever poaching to turn sharply before
hitting home the rebound.
Despite holding a comfortable lead, the
game had certainly not been all England's and several times
Hopkinson's goal was put under extreme pressure by the eager Italian
forwards. Indeed, even in those remaining minutes of the first half,
Betris missed two golden chances.
Early in the second half Ron
Flowers was stretchered off, after a collision left him with a suspected
broken nose. Although he managed to return to the action, patched up,
about 15 minutes later, by then the damage had been done as Italy rocked
England with two goals.
A long through-ball produced a terrible
misunderstanding between Hopkinson and Shaw. The ball ran loose and
Brighenti accepted the free gift with glee to pull one goal back. Then
within minutes it was 2-2. Gratton, taking advantage of some poor
defensive play put Mariani through to shoot home the equaliser. Again
Hopkinson might have done better with his attempted save.
After
this burst of activity, Flowers returned to the fray and the game settled
down again to an even pattern. Bradley and Charlton both saw efforts
cleared off the line but by the end of the 90 minutes it was England who
seemed more relieved to hear the final whistle. After their long-hard
season the forthcoming summer tour seemed to be something that the players
did not really want and their current form was such that a trip to visit
the current World Champions, Brazil, was the last thing they need. But
that is exactly what England had to do the following Wednesday.
|
Match Report
by Norman Giller |
England
were reduced to ten men when Ron Flowers went off with a broken nose with
England leading 2-0. The goals were scored in the first-half by Manchester
United team-mates Bobby Charlton and Warren Bradley, a schoolmaster who
was making his debut on the right wing. By the time Flowers returned to
the defence seventeen minutes later the young, experimental Italian team
had drawn level. The Italians were fielding the first all home-born team
for twenty-five years following a ruling from FIFA that in future teams
could not include players capped by another country. There was an
embarrassing start to the game. When they stood to attention before the
match the Italian players were astonished to hear the banned Mussolini-era
national anthem being played. This had been replaced after the war. Every
Italian restaurant in Britain must have been short of staff because Italy
had thousands of supporters in the crowd, and they whistled and hooted as
the anthem was played. But for some cracking saves by goalkeeper Eddie
Hopkinson the Italian fans would have had a victory to cheer.
|
Match Report
by Glen Isherwood |
Italy had failed to qualify for the previous year's World Cup, having been
surprisingly knocked out by Northern Ireland. They had never beaten
England in six previous meetings and had lost on both their previous
visits to England. Midway through the
first half Haynes worked an opening and Bobby Charlton smacked in a low
shot from the edge of the area to give England the lead. Twelve minutes
later a shot from Haynes was blocked and Warren Bradley turned swiftly to
score. Eight minutes into the second half Flowers took a bang on the nose
in a heading duel and was carried off. This unsettled England and the
Italians seized the initiative. A terrible mix-up between Shaw and
Hopkinson allowed Sergio Brighenti in for an easy goal. Then, from a pass
by Gratton, Amos Mariani shot past Hopkinson for the equaliser. Flowers
returned to learn that they had squandered their two-goal lead. Italy
failed to progress beyond the first round in the 1962 World Cup after a
violent confrontation with the hosts Chile and they were not to beat
England until 1973.
|
Match Report
as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1959-60 pages 34 & 35 |
England were in some ways unlucky in
this match at Wembley, for they were leading by two goals when Flowers was
forced to leave the field for treatment to a face injury during the second
half. When he returned the score was 2-all. It cannot, however, be denied
that Italy thoroughly deserved to draw, for they played fine open
football, and could be faulted only in finishing. It was they, too, who
took the initiative from the start, and it was against the run of play
when Charlton put England in the lead midway through the first half.
Before halftime Bradley made it 2-0 with a fierce shot from a rebound, and
it appeared England would win after all. But then Flower's injury upset
the balance of the English defence, and Brighenti scored following a
misunderstanding between Shaw and Hopkinson. The equaliser came from
Mariani. England di not impress, and Wright had perhaps his poorest
International; Shaw had difficulty in holding Mariani; only Clayton and,
in patches, Charlton earned credit.
|
International:
Scotland 3 West Germany 2
Hampden
Park, Glasgow
(103,415)
White
1, Weir
7, Leggat 23
~
Seeler
14, Juskowiak
37 (pen) |
|
|
An impressive performance from the Scots against a powerful German
side, who failed to completely recover from going two goals down in
the first seven minutes.
|
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup quarter-final first leg:
Birmingham City 1 Zagreb 0
St
Andrew's, Birmingham
(21,411)
Larkin
41 |
|
|
Following a narrow first-leg victory against the Zagreb representative
squad, Birmingham set off on a tour of Switzerland, and arrived in
Zagreb for the second leg, 18 days later.
|
|
In
Other News....
It was on 6 May 1959
that 31-year-old Doctor Ravindranath Bhonsle appeared before
Wolverhampton Magistrates charged with the murder of
45-year-old nurse, Martha Giles, who had been stabbed and
beaten before her body was found on a bowling green within
the grounds of the hospital where they both worked. Police
found blood-stained clothing in his flat, though not unusual
for a doctor, and Dr Bhonsle attempted suicide after being
questioned by police, but he was revived before the drugs
could take effect. The prosecution implied that there had
been a relationship between the two, but he was found not
guilty, two months later, and no-one else was ever charged
with the murder. Dr Bhonsle re-located to the Netherlands,
before settling at St Austell in Cornwall, where he became a
very popular member of the community, whilst continuing as a
GP and surgeon. He was affectionately known as 'Robbie' and
died at the age of 93, in 2021. |
|
Source
Notes |
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
The Complete Book of the British Charts
|
|
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record
Norman Giller, Football Author
British Pathé |
|
cg |