MAGYARS BOOTS AND BEST

England hosted Hungary on this day in 1953, at Wembley and the English expected to win, being self-appointed "Masters of Football". The Magyars had other ideas, as Ferenc Puskas and his chums handed out a bit of a pasting, winning 3-6, the first time England had lost at home to a team outside the British Isles, in history! Sir Bobby Robson watched the match and said; 

"The game had a profound effect, not just on me but on "all of us! That one game changed English FA thinking, which before the match, the English thought they would demolish the Hungarians. It was completely the other way" There is even a bar in Budapest named 6:3 Bar in honour of the result!!

The Anranycsapat-The Hungarian Golden team, were Olympic champions and had a fearsome unbeaten record. However, they had played poorly against Sweden, ten days earlier, drawing 2-2. Playing at "the holy place" of Wembley was clearly a "mountain" that they had to face, however the Hungarians had "modern" light weight boots and their star forward, Ferenc Puskas (CENTRE FRONT), was regarded as a "little fat chap". Within a minute of the start, the deep-lying forward Hidegkuti scored past Gil Merrick in the home team's goal. Jackie Sewell soon equalised but Hidegkuti scored again, leaving England players in his "wake". The third goal came with Puskas tricking the England centre half, Billy Wright, with a deft drag back with his heel, leaving the England defender sliding off the pitch, with no the ball nestling in the England goal. Geoffrey Green, writing in The Times, described Wright a "like a fire enging heading to the wrong fire". It was 2-4 at half time, with Stan Mortenson giving the home team some encouragement but with Hidegkuti completing his hat trick and Alf Ramsey scoring a consolation penalty, the 100,000 crowd went home having witnessed a home, 3-6 thrashing.

England team: Merrick, Ramsey, Eckersley, Wright, Johnston, Dickinson, Matthews, Taylor E, Mortenson, Sewell, Robb.  

Puskas (middle front below) celebrated by drinking local Hungarian wines for two months as he travelled through his home country and in Fleet Street, thre Sports' writers had a "field day". "England were cut to ribbons" and The Times described what the sports' writer described having seen "A new conception of football". 

By the way....The Hungarian formation typically involved: A three-man defence, with supporting full-backs and a sweeper. A three-man midfield, with one operating almost as a defender, another getting forward from a defensive-midfield position, and the other (the 9) playing as an attacking midfielder. They also wore new lightweight boots!

In May 1954, England travelled to Budapest, on tour, with little evidence of "tactical modernisation" and were beaten 1-7!

On this day also, in 2005, George Best died aged 59. after suffering a multiple organ failure, having been battling alcoholism.