The big match 2 - England v Hungary 1953

Posted by Tony Hutton

WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER 1953

INTERNATIONAL MATCH AT WEMBLEY STADIUM                   Attendance 100,000

ENGLAND 3 (Sewell, Mortenson, Ramsey pen) HUNGARY 6 (Hidegkuti 3, Puskas 2, Bozsik)

Merrick (Birmingham City); Ramsey (Spurs), Eckersley (Blackburn); Wright (Wolves - capt), Johnston (Blackpool), Dickinson (Portsmouth); Matthews (Blackpool), Taylor (Blackpool), Mortenson (Blackpool),
Sewell (Sheffield Wednesday), Robb (Spurs);

Grosits; Buzansky, Lantos; Bozsik, Lorant, Zakarias;
Budai, Kocsis, Hidegkuti, Puskas (capt), Czibor;

Referee:- L. Horn (Holland)

This was a match I saw on television (in black and white of course) on a Wednesday afternoon when I bunked off school (or played truant as it was called then) where I should have been playing rugby union in the rain. I had read great things about the Hungarian team and was not disappointed. They not only took England's record of not losing at home to a foreign team but tore it to shreds by playing a brand of football that no one in this country had seen before.

I have kept all the press reports and pictures from that day all these years and still remember it clearly after almost sixty three years. They remain the greatest team I ever saw apart possibly from the Real Madrid side of a few years later, who also included the amazing Hungarian captain Ferenc Puskas.

The press reports and pictures speak for themselves.