FOOTBALLING FIFTIES, THE GREAT POLL: FULL-BACKS

Select two full-backs for your Dream Team from the choice of ten below. They are presented in alphabetical order. Go for partnerships rather than individual ability. E-mail your dream team selection in 2-3-5 formation to the author normangiller@footballingfifties.co.uk He will do his best to reply.

JIMMY ARMFIELD Blackpool. A fast, thinking man's right-back who was one of the pioneers of overlapping runs. Motivated by starting his career playing behind Stanley Matthews, he won 43 England caps and was the regular skipper before the emergence of Bobby Moore.

WALLEY BARNES Arsenal. A cultured, thoughtful left-back who was handicapped through much of his career by a recurring knee injury. Capped 22 times by Wales, he was a key man in the Arsenal defence on the way to the 1952 FA Cup final in which he was badly injured.

ROGER BYRNE Manchester United. Was established as England's regular No 3 at the time of the Munich air crash in which he lost his life. Captained the Busby Babes, and showed skill to go with the speed that he developed when starting his career as a left winger.

NOEL CANTWELL West Ham. Had the perfect balance of strength, speed and skill and was one of the best left-backs of his generation. Led West Ham to the First Division as captain in 1957-58 before switching to Old Trafford and skippering the 1963 FA Cup winning Man United side.

BILL ECKERSLEY Blackburn Rovers. Played 17 times for England, with Alf Ramsey as his regular full-back partner. He had a thundering tackle and collected spectacular goals with powerful left foot shots. Played 406 League games for Rovers and scored 20 goals.

DON HOWE West Bromwich Albion. A composed and constructive right-back, he was capped 23 times by England. He was well established in the West Brom defence with 342 League appearances when Billy Wright took him to Arsenal where a broken leg brought a premature end to his playing days.

ALF McMICHAEL Newcastle. He was a key member of the outstanding Northern Ireland team of the 'fifties and many considered him the finest left-back in the Football League. He played more than 500 League and Cup matches for the Magpies.

ALF RAMSEY Tottenham. He was 'The General' of the famous push-and-run Spurs team and was always looking to organise the defence. He made up for a slowness on the turn with a solid tackle, and he always used the ball with intelligence. Capped 32 times by England, and skipper three times.

ALF SHERWOOD Cardiff City and Newport County. He was known as the 'king of the sliding tackle' and surprised many wingers with his powers of recovery. Played 41 times at left-back for Wales. Stanley Matthews described him as his most difficult opponent.

RAY WILSON Huddersfield Town. Discovered while working as an apprentice railwayman, he was hugely influence by manager Bill Shankly. Had his peak years with Everton and was England's untouchable left-back in the 1966 World Cup winning team on his way to collecting 63 caps.

CHOOSE BALANCED FULL-BACK PARTNERS FOR YOUR DREAM TEAM AND SEND IT IN 2-3-5 FORMATION TO normangiller@footballingfifties.co.uk THANK YOU.

YOU CAN ORDER A COPY OF FOOTBALLING FIFTIES AT A SPECIAL DISCOUNT PRICE BY E-MAILING normangiller@footballingfifties.co.uk

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