EFY – (1950-1959)

Greatest players

 

Johnny Haynes
Debut – 2nd October 1954 V Northern Ireland
Caps – 56
Goals – 18
Haynes became England’s captain in May 1960 and fronted them during a purple patch in 1960-61 when, in six consecutive matches, they won 5-2, 9-0, 4-2, 5-1, 9-3 and 8-0. Haynes rates the 9-3 slaughter of Scotland as the best performance of his era. In August 1962, after leading England in the world cup finals in Chile, Haynes was injured in a car accident and that ruined his international career.

Nat Lofthouse
Debut – 22nd November 1950 V Yugoslavia
Caps – 33
Goals – 30
England’s mighty centre forward Nat Lofthouse was symbolic of the period in which he played in for England. The powerhouse pillaging of forward Nat Lofthouse brought him 12 goals in his first ten internationals for England. The call to full international honors came in November 1950 in a match against Yugoslavia. Lofthouse weighed in with two goals, embarking on an England career that brought him a remarkable tally of 30 goals in 33 matches. His most famous match for England came against the mighty Austria in Vienna’s giant Prater Stadium in 1952. The match proved a strong battle before a partisan 65,000 crowd; however one man that was not intimidated was Nat Lofthouse. With nine minutes remaining and the scores level, he broke free from the half way line and slid the ball home before being felled in a crunching collision with the keeper. That amazing moment earned him the title of ‘Lion of Vienna.’

Tom Finney
Debut – 28th September 1946 V Northern Ireland
Caps – 76
Goals – 30
Tom Finney provided that little bit of magic that won games and rescued lost causes. A great dribbler of the ball who could comfortably beat defenders, Finney was brilliant with either foot. Because Finney played in the same era as Stanley Matthews, his England career was full of controversy. The England management could never decide whether to play Finney on the right wing and as a result Finney and Matthews often replaced each other. Finney did not like playing on the left wing; he played in that position 33 times for England scoring 17 goals, five more than in his total in 40 appearances at outside- right.

Duncan Edwards
Debut – 1st October 1936
Caps – 18
Goals – 5
In April 1955, Duncan Edward’s became England’s youngest ever full international when he played in a 7-2 victory over Scotland. Edwards’s international highlight came in 1956 in a match against West Germany after scoring a 25 yard goal. Edwards was aged just 21 when he died, Duncan Edwards is still recognized as one of the greatest talents the game of football has ever witnessed.