This green
aertex top was introduced alongside England's yellow aertex
kit for the 1973
end-of-season tour. Like the yellow goalkeeper's jersey, it included an Umbro
double-diamond logo on the right breast against Poland, but not for its
final appearance in Italy.
Peter
Shilton became the first England goalkeeper to wear a green jersey since the
war. At the time, virtually every 'keeper in the Football League wore green,
and Shilton was about to break the mould by wearing a dazzling all-white
outfit for his club, Leicester City, in the following season.
The photo
top left is of the jersey worn in a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Poland in a
World Cup qualifier, a result that probably did more damage to England's
hopes of making the following year's trip to Germany than the famous 1-1
draw in the return, four months later, at Wembley. It was kindly sent to us
by Simon Shakeshaft,
curator of the Neville Evans National Football Shirt Collection. Shilton is pictured top right in the
very same jersey, before the Poland game.