FOOTBALLING FIFTIES, THE GREAT POLL: GOALKEEPERS
Select one goalkeeper for your Dream Team from the choice of ten below. They are presented in alphabetical order. 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.
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GORDON BANKS Leicester City. Established himself in the Leicester City defence in the late 'fifties after starting his career with Chesterfield. England's last line of defence in the 1966 World Cup, but remember you are judging him as a young 1950s 'keeper.
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SAM BARTRAM Charlton Athletic. Played in the shadow of Frank Swift, who does not make this shortlist because he retired in 1949. Sam was agile and a great character who bossed his area with authority and, often, humour.
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TED DITCHBURN Tottenham Hotspur. The last line of defence in the famous push-and-run Spurs that won back to back Second and First Division titles at the start of the 'fifties. His England caps were restricted to six because of the powerful presence of Frank Swift.
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GEORGE FARM Blackpool. Commanding goalkeeper throughout Blackpool's FA Cup exploits of the 1950s. Capped ten times by Scotland, he played more than 500 League and Cup matches for Blackpool after joining them from Hibernian reserves.
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HARRY GREGG Manchester United. Played 210 League games for Man United after taking over from England international Ray Wood in 1957. Won hero status in Manchester after surviving the Munich air disaster and then going back into the wreckage to rescue other passengers.
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EDDIE HOPKINSON Bolton. Won 14 England caps, and played more than 500 League games for Bolton as a solid goalkeeper with great reflexes. Collected an FA Cup winners' medal against Man United at Wembley in 1958. |
JACK KELSEY Arsenal. Played in goal for Wales in 41 internationals, and considered by many good judges to have been Arsenal's greatest ever goalkeeper -- even ahead of David Seaman. Key man in the Welsh team that reached the 1958 World Cup quarter-finals.
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GIL MERRICK Birmingham City. Unlucky to be hit by the Hungarian hurricane, conceding 13 goals in two matches against the Magical Magyars. He let in 45 goals in 23 England internationals, and played in more than 500 League and Cup games for Birmingham City before becoming their manager. |
BERT TRAUTMANN Manchester City. The ex-German Prisoner-of-War became the master of the Maine Road goalmouth, and many old-time City supporters will tell you that he was an even better goalkeeper than the legend he replaced, Frank Swift
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BERT WILLIAMS Wolves. 'The Cat' wins his place in this top ten a fingertip ahead of the man who took over from him on the Wolves goal-line, Malcolm Finlayson. A greatly respected coach, Bert won 24 England caps and played more than 400 League and Cup games for the Molineux club.
CHOOSE JUST ONE GOALKEEPER 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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