FOOTBALLING FIFTIES, THE GREAT POLL: INSIDE-FORWARDS

Select two 'fifties-style inside-forwards for your Dream Team from the choice of ten below. They are presented in alphabetical order. You need one who will scheme and the other who will score. 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.

IVOR ALLCHURCH Newcastle. Idolised at Swansea, Newcastle and Cardiff, he was the perfect all-round forward who could scheme and score. He passed with pride and precision for Wales in 68 international matches.

EDDIE BAILY Tottenham. Pulled the strings in midfield for the famous push-and-run Spurs team that won the Second and First Division titles in successive years. A wonderful passer of the ball with either foot, he scored five goals in nine England games.

BOBBY CHARLTON Manchester United. It was difficult to know where to place England's favourite footballing son. He was equally devastating in four forward roles, but was at is most effective when scheming from deep and coming through and bombarding goalkeepers. Scored 49 goals in 106 England games.

GEORGE EASTHAM Newcastle/Arsenal. Football's 'Matchstick Man,' he was only a bantamweight but difficult to knock off the ball. His close control was superb and he could unlock the tightest defences with well-placed passes. Followed his father into the England team and capped 14 times.

JIMMY GREAVES Chelsea/Tottenham. A goal scoring genius, he netted a record 357 First Division goals and also 44 in 57 games for England. Many consider his greatest days as a teenage Chelsea player, going through defences like a knife through butter and pick-pocketing goals.

JOHNNY HAYNES Fulham. The pass master of Fulham who could hit a ball like Beckham but with both feet. Captain England in 22 of his 56 appearances, and was the key midfield player in the World Cup campaings of 1958 and 1962.

DENIS LAW Manchester City/Manchester United. He had his peak years in the 1960s, but was already established as a star of the 'fifties with Huddersfield. He had lightning-fast reflexes in the penalty area and could turn a half chance into a goal in the blinking of an eye.

JIMMY McILROY Burnley. A wonderfully composed schemer for club and country. He was always beautifully balanced, and could find a team-mate with passes that were delivered with uncanny accuracy. Capped 55 times by Northern Ireland, he had a potent midfield partnership with Danny Blanchflower.

WILF MANNION Middlesbrough. He had his greatest days in the 1940s, but was still an effective player for Middlesbrough with his stunning ball control and ability to ghost through defence. The Ayresome Park 'Golden Boy' scored 11 goals in 26 England games.

LEN SHACKLETON Newcastle/Sunderland. 'The Clown Prince' was one of the most entertaining footballers ever to step on a football field, but his clowning was frowned on by the selectors and he was picked for a meagre five England internationals. With his skill, he would be worth £30-million in today's transfer market.

CHOOSE TWO INSIDE-FORWARDS (ONE A SCHEMER THE OTHER A SCORER) 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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