OWN GOAL SENDS LIONESSES HOME

With the lure of £35,000 per player if they reached the Women's World Cup Final, our Lionesses had a lot to play for, as well the pride! A devastating own goal in added time meant that the champions, Japan, sneaked through this intriguing semi-final. After a battling and well organised performance, it was Laura Bassett's unfortunate freak deflection that sent England out of the tournament in Canada. So dreams are broken but there is the knowledge that England are getting better and surely must rank in FIFA's top four now. Videos of the goal are on You Tube!

There has only been one other English own goal in the FIFA World Cup and we have to go back to the Men's finals in 1954 and Switzerland to find it. In a tense tournament match with Belgium, England would be expected to win, but the Belgians were managed by a Scot and he was not going to let the old foe past.

Having been 3-1 up, England gave away two goals, then restored their lead only to falter in extra time and it was Jimmy Dickinson of Portsmouth, a hero in anybody's book, who scored the equaliser for Belgium.

The English team including greats such as Gil Merrick of Birmingham City in goal, Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor of United who both died in the Munich air disaster, the legend Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney, stalwart centre half, Billy Wright and Nat Lofthouse who scored two for us!
Ivor Broadis scored the others and Syd Owen of Luton and Ron Staniforth made up the eleven, managed by Walter Winterbottom.

Broadis had flown 500 hours in Lancaster and Wellington bombers during the war and in pace, was at Newcastle United in 1954. He did not play in the Magpies Cup Final win over his old club Manchester City in 1955 after a disagreement with the club's trainer.

Staniforth played for over 200 times for Stockport County, then Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday at the height of his career. He won 8 caps for England, whilst Billy Wright, one of the first celebrity footballers, won 105, playing his entire career (490 times) at Wolves. Wright married Joy Beverley, a singer who made her fame in the 1950-60s Beverley Sisters singers.